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Visit Rome following 8 XVIIIth century itineraries XVIIIth century Rome in the 10 Books of Giuseppe Vasi - Le Magnificenze di Roma Antica e Moderna The Grand View of Rome by G. Vasi The Environs of Rome: Frascati, Tivoli, Albano and other small towns near Rome A 1781 map of Rome by G. Vasi An 1852 map of Rome by P. Letarouilly Rome seen by a 1905 armchair traveller in the paintings by Alberto Pisa The 14 historical districts of Rome An abridged history of Rome How to spend a peaceful day in Rome Baroque sculptors and their works The coats of arms of the popes in the monuments of Rome Pages on a specific pope Pages complementing the itineraries and the views by Giuseppe Vasi Walks in the Roman countryside and in other towns of Latium following Ferdinand Gregorovius A Directory of links to the Churches of Rome A Directory of links to the Palaces and Villas of Rome A Directory of links to the Other Monuments of Rome A Directory of Baroque Architects with links to their works A Directory of links to Monuments of Ancient Rome A Directory of links to Monuments of Medieval Rome A Directory of links to Monuments of Renaissance A Directory of links to Monuments of the Late Renaissance A list of the most noteworthy Roman Families Directories of fountains, obelisks, museums, etc. Books and guides used for developing this web site An illustrated Glossary of Art Terms Venice and the Levant Roman recollections in Florence A list of Italian towns shown in this web site Venetian Fortresses in Greece Vienna seen by an Italian XVIIIth century traveller A list of foreign towns shown in this web site
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All images © by Roberto Piperno, owner of the domain. Write to romapip@quipo.it. Text edited by Rosamie Moore.
Page revised in December 2009.

DON'T LET ME DOWN!

Interno della Porta S. Paolo (Book 1) (Map C4) (Day 5) (View C12) (Rione Ripa)

In this page:
The plate by Giuseppe Vasi
Today's view of Porta S. Paolo
Interior of Porta S. Paolo
Porta Portese Antica
Villa Della Porta Rodiani and S. Maria del Buon Riposo

The Plate (No. 11 - ii)

Interno della Porta S. Paolo - Esterno della Porta Portese antica

In this small additional plate Vasi shows (left) Porta S. Paolo from inside Rome and (right, based on old drawings) Porta Portese antica which was pulled down by Pope Urban VIII in 1643 when he redesigned the walls of Trastevere.

Today

The view today
The view in May 2009

Porta S. Paolo can now be called again Porta Trigemina (with three exits) because the opening on the left which was walled at Vasi's time has been reopened. In recent years the access to the interior of the gate was forbidden to protect it from vandalism. Due to its overall shape Porta S. Paolo is also called il Castelletto (the small castle) by those who live in the area.

Interior of Porta S. Paolo

The customs house
(left) The courtyard seen from the main gate; (right) the customs house

In 1749 Pope Benedict XIV promoted a general restoration of the walls of Rome; rather than placing coats of arms along the walls he preferred his initiative to be remembered by two small inscriptions in the front of Porta S. Paolo and near Porta del Popolo; the small building inside the gate was decorated at that time with two sacred images.

The customs house
(left) Roman gravestone; (centre) painting portraying St. Peter; (right) sacred images


Porta S. Paolo houses a small museum covering the history of the gate and of Via Ostiense, the ancient road leading to Ostia.

Esterno della Porta Portese antica

Today

Porta Portese antica
(left/centre) Maps from Forma Urbis Romae by Rodolfo Lanciani; (right) alley between the site of the old gate and Porta Portese

Porta Portuensis, one of the three ancient gates of Trastevere (all lost) was located close to the river and was strengthened by two towers. It had two entrances as did most of the other main gates, but one of them was closed in the Vth century; it was named after the road which from the gate led to Porto, the artificial harbour built by Emperor Claudius as an alternative to Ostia. It had an inscription similar to that placed by Emperor Honorius at Porta Maggiore. It was pulled down in 1643 when the walls of Trastevere were redesigned and a new gate by the same name (Porta Portese nuova) was opened half a mile north of the old one.

Villa Della Porta Rodiani

What's left (2)
(left) Upper part of the portal of Villa Della Porta Rodiani; (centre) a window of the casino; (right) S. Maria del Buon Riposo

The area near the site of the ancient gate was developed after WWII by building very large apartment blocks; the small garden of one of these modern buildings hides the upper part of a XVIIth century portal; it was the entrance to a property of the Massimo which at a later time was acquired by the Della Porta Rodiani; the level of the ground in the XVIIth century was lower than today and a window of the former casino is now very near the street level.
The Massimo had a small chapel nearby for their servants and farmers; it was deconsecrated in the early XXth century and then deprived of all its decoration and used for various purposes. It is now in extremely poor condition in a square where every Sunday the Porta Portese flea market takes place.

Next plate in Book 1: Porta Portese