JUBILEE CULTURAL ROUTES

Via di Porta Latina, 17
Always visible.

This gate, built across via Latina, has a single opening coated in travertine bricks and flanked by two semi-circular brickwork towers. The grooves for the grate for blocking access, opened and closed using cables from the manoeuvring chamber above, is visible on the inside part of the arch. The main brickwork structure is still that from Aurelian times, except for the lowering and contraction of the archway by the Emperor Honorius, to whom the Christian monogram and Byzantine cross on opposite sides of the arch also belong.
Porta Latina has recently been restored again and the inside will soon be able to be visited, connected to short stretches of the wall-walk on the walls on either side.

Via di Porta San Sebastiano, 18
Always visible.

Along the via Appia, the regina viarum, is the gate of the same name in the Aurelian Walls. Porta Appia was originally constituted by twin arches flanked by two semi-circular brickwork towers. Its first significant transformation was due to the Emperor Honorius, in the early 5th century, and numerous works throughout the centuries have further altered its appearance. During the Middle Ages, the gate was named Porta San Sebastiano, in remembrance of the martyr who is buried in the catacombs along the via Appia. Inside the gate is the Museo delle Mura, in which plastic reconstructions and informative panels illustrate the history of the defensive walls of the city. The terrace above one of the two towers gives a fantastic view. The covered wall-walk can also be accessed, which is a pleasant walk marked by towers every 30 metres.

Via di Porta San Sebastiano, 18
www.museodellemuraroma.it
Open Tuesday-Sunday 9:00-14:00; 24th and 31st December 9:00-14:00. Closed on December 25th, January 1st, May 1st. Admission fee.

The Museo delle Mura is inside Porta San Sebastiano, and is divided into three sections – ancient, medieval and modern – comprising informative panels with texts, colour drawings and photographs. It covers the history of the fortifications and their significance to the city, analysing previous ones, the historical-political background, strategic choices, the construction technique used and the restorations and subsequent transformations. The terrace of the main structure between the two towers and that on the western tower can be accessed.