Day 1 Part I - Along the Aurelian walls

 

Day 1 – Discovering Rome

Part I

Quitting our hostel, we headed to our destination. While passing through a mini-park, we found the first ruins - the remains of a Roman fountain of the third century AD. (Severiana Age). In front of the ruins there is the curious Porta Magica (Magic Door) also known as Porta Alchemica.

 

Not so far from this place there is the remains of an ancient Roman aqueduct - Aqua Claudia. We’ll see it again during our holidays. This time it was situated in the place, so called Parco di Via Statilia. Next to it you can visit one of the many Archeological areas, viz. Sepolcri repubblicani (Republican tombs), dating back to 100 BC. More details and information about visiting can be found there: 

https://www.sovraintendenzaroma.it/i_luoghi/roma_antica/monumenti/sepolcri_repubblicani_di_via_statilia

Along the Aurelian walls

Finally, walking along the aqueduct, we reached this tremendous and fascinating Porta Maggiore ("Larger Gate"), or Porta Prenestina - one of the eastern gates in the ancient but well-preserved 3rd-century Aurelian Walls of Rome.

The structure, that is visible close to Porta Maggiore, is the marble relief of the two spouses - the tomb of the baker Eurysaces and his wife Atistia (its sculpted frieze is a classic example of the "plebeian style" in Roman sculpture), was probably located on the east facade, now lost following the demolition of the honorian towers of the Porta Labicana - Prenestina. Characteristic features of the monument are the circular cavities, arranged in the upper part, which symbolize the mixers used in the ovens. The tomb dates from the end of the Republican age and the first years of the Augustan age (30-20 BC).

 

Next to it is Porta Onoriana. In 403 by the order of the emperor Honorius, the Magister militum general Stilicon started a great phase of restoration and reinforcement of the defensive walls of Rome. The height of the walls was doubled, creating a double walkway. A lower one (that became covered with slits for archers) and an upper one (surrounded by battlements). In 1838, a plaque was placed in memory of the works.

 

 

A plaque in memory of the enlargement of the Acqua Pia Antica Marcia. It was written in Latin and placed in a monumental aedicule, recalls the different passages in the various eras of this aqueduct, often relating them to historical events.

 

We decided to continue walking along road side, crossing the wall with aqueduct to meet it again a little after. On the way we were walking near several museums (Museo Storico della Fanteria, Historical Museum of the Grenadiers of Sardinia and National Museum of Musical Instruments) and the Basilica of the Holy Cross in Jerusalem, that stands on Romans’ ruins, such as Circus Varianus and Amphitheatrum Castrense (probably was built by the emperor Elagabalus (218-222 AD)).

Behind the church the wall continued and undoubtedly, we followed it through a beautiful park. There were a lot of people, playing with their dogs and chatting with each other.

 

 

Just in front of the park there is a monument of St. Francis of Assisi, looking straight to the Archbasilica of Saint John Lateran. 

 

Skirting the church, we saw a fountain with an Egyptian obelisk (15th century BC) in Piazza San Giovanni in Laterano, which was found in 1587 along the spine of the Circus Maximus, was built in 1588 as part of the desired layout of the square by Pope Sixtus V.

After this obelisk we had to walk a bit more though the city to finally reach the walls. Since then, our little journey began.

And it started from the next gate - Porta Metronia. During the tenth century, beyond this gate was marshland called the Prata Decii or the Decenniae. At the end of the Middle Ages, the gate was closed and the entrance bricked up. Because of increasing traffic in the modern era, four main passages were created beside the original gate. The ground level around the gate has risen significantly through the ages, leaving the original passage partially underground.

 

alking along the walls in the Parco Lineare Integrato delle Mura, enjoying the view of these fascinating and enormous constructions, up to the following gate – Porta Latina (Aurelian Doors).

 

“This gate is called Latina, because it leads to Lazio, today called Campagna di Roma, the famous Province of the ancient Romans, and famous in history for the purity of its language which was adopted by all the ancient writers, and spread throughout the World.”

The next gate calls the Gate of St Sebastian, which is the largest and one of the best-preserved gates passing through the Aurelian Walls. Originally known as the Porta Appia, the gate sat astride the Appian Way, the regina viarum (queen of the roads), which originated at the Porta Capena in the Servian Wall. Currently the towers host the Museum of the Walls. https://www.museodellemuraroma.it/

If you pass through the gates, you will see the Arch of Drusus. According to some, it has nothing to do with Nero Claudius Drusus, the conqueror of the Germans. But most likely it’s the remains of the Arch of Trajan. This Arch was entirely made of marble and was restored by Vespasian. Also, the version exists that it is nothing more than a fornix of the Antoninian aqueduct, located at the very beginning of the Appian Way.

The Antoninian aqueduct, a branch of the Aqua Marcia, built by Caracalla in 211-216 AD, actually passed over the arch but the brick facade on the top of the arch seems to date back to a later period than Caracalla.

In front of the Gate, the Fountain of Porta San Sebastiano can be found.

Not so far from the Gate of St Sebastian, we came to Porta Ardeatina. The gate was built in the time of Nero. It stands at an angle. The gate was probably locked very soon (it is no more mentioned starting from 8th century); or destroyed in the 16^th century, during the construction of the Sangallo bastion. According to a statement by the humanist and historian Poggio Bracciolini, Porta Ardeatina bore the usual memorial plate, commemorating the restoration carried out by the Emperor Honorius in 401–403. This could indicate that it was not just a simple secondary passage, but a real single-arch gate.

Neighboring the gate, the walls continue, but they were rebuilt in the 16^th century into the Bastion of Sangallo. You can read about it there: 

https://arch242doarch.files.wordpress.com/2013/08/pepper_planning-versus-fortification.pdf

 

 

Sometimes we could see the dates of modern restorations. Unfortunately, a lot of parts of the walls are destroying by the time.

 

At one moment we reached the stairs that leaded up to the top of the walls. We were interested and went up. The city there literally stands on them.

 

This way we came to the following (and final for us) gate - Porta San Paolo. The Via Ostiense Museum (museo della Via Ostiense) is situated within the gatehouse. The original name of the gate was Porta Ostiensis, because it was located at the beginning of via Ostiense, the road that connected Rome and Ostia. Via Ostiense was an important arterial road, as evidenced by the fact that upon entering the gate, the road split, with one direction leading to the famous Emporium, the great market of Rome.