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 Aurelian wall near Porta S.
Sebastiano. by breughel
In France I have seen Aigues-Mortes (1,6 Km walls), Avilla in Spain but even this one with 90 towers and 2,5 Km long continuous wall does not compare with the still existing 12,5 Km of the Aurelian walls.
The original walls were 19 km long with 381 square towers, 18 main doors. Most of it still exists more or less well conserved.
It is a fact that you can't walk in Rome without crossing somewhere the Aurelian walls.
For centuries the Romans lived without fortifications around the city but the invasions of northern Italy by barbarian tribes made Emperor Aurelian begin the construction of the fortified wall which was built between 271 and 275. What is a rather short time and shows again the building efficiency of the Romans.
Now did the walls really protect Rome? Yes as long as the Romans did not forget to close the doors and they sometimes forgot.
In 410 Alaric and his Goths entered Rome by the Porta Salaria which had been left open. In 455 the Vandals lead by Genseric invaded the city by the Ostiense and Portuense gates again incredibly left open!
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When climbing the steps to the S. John in Lateran Basilica you will see on the left, surrounded by trees, a gate from 270 AD. in the Aurelian walls. What you see is the inner side of the Porta Asinaria. Specific to this gate are the two bastions with semicircular fronts that are flanked by square staircase towers.
The Porta Asinaria was not an important gateway but entered in the history because on several occasions she was left open when the city was attacked by barbarians. In 546 the Goths of Totila entered by this gate left open and plundered Rome and destroyed one third of the existing walls.
In 1084 the Normans of Robert Guiscard entered also Rome by this gate.
The Porta Asinaria was definitively closed in 1574 when a new gate Porta San Giovani was opened at less than 100 m.
The existing structure of brick-faced concrete is one of the best preserved of all the original gates. Address: Near Porta S. Giovani at Laterano.
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If you take a stroll along the wall just below Villa Borghese at Via Veneto, here are some of the more notable views. Address: Rome Wall at Via Veneto - Villa Borghese entranceDirections: Walking east along the wall from the top of Via Veneto
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The Aurelian Walls were built by the Emperor Aurelian between 270 and 273 A.D. to defend the city against attack from barbarians. These were not the first walls built to protect the city; the earlier Servian Walls had been standing since the 4th century B.C., parts of which can still be seen today near the Termini railway station and even inside the station in the McDonalds on the underground level.
By the 3rd century A.D. the city had long ago outgrown these walls, but at the height of the empire in the 1st and 2nd centuries Rome's army and its reputation were good enough defenses and a wall was not necessary. The empire was already in a state of decline by the 3rd century, however, thus the wall had to be built to keep out Rome's enemies.
Even after the fall of the Empire, the walls were maintained and improved by the Popes and continued to be used as a means of defense right up until 1870 when Garibaldi's army stormed the walls, forcing the Pope to give up his reign over Rome and finally incorporating the city into the newly-formed Kingdom of Italy.
There are many places in Rome where the walls can be seen today; the portion seen in the photo stands near the Church of San Giovanni in Laterano (St. John in Lateran). Today it is in the middle of a very busy junction with many cars passing through it; the wall was originally solid but the arches were cut out in the early 20th century to accommodate the cars.
The website below has very thorough explanations of all of Rome's walls, with many pictures and maps.
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 Porta San Sebastiano by Paul2001Leave a Comment
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 Porta San Paolo opposite Caius
Cestius' Pyramid by martin_nlLeave a Comment Directions: All around the city. To see the gate pictured, take the metro to Piramide.
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 Porta Maggiore, Rome by tompt
In total water in 6 different aquaducts came into Rome at the Porta Maggiore.
Under the huge citygate you can see the old basalt road. Deep trenches of the carriages can easily be identified in the black stones. Leave a Comment
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 Porta del Popolo by MM212 |
Built by Emperor Marcus Aurelius between 271 and 275 to defend Rome from the Barbarians, one can see remnants around the city and some of its remaining gateways. One of the best of these is the Porta San Paolo seen in the picture. Nearby is a museum (I didn't go to it).
A large section of the well can also be found near the Via Veneto and the entrance to the
Villa Borghese gardens.
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 by OttoMarzoLeave a Comment Directions: All around the central area
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