Porta San Sebastiano

Welcome to Porta San Sebastiano, arguably the largest and best-preserved gateway in Rome's massive Aurelian Walls. Originally known in ancient times as the Porta Appia, this gate served as the monumental starting point for the…

To understand Porta San Sebastiano, we must first look at the Aurelian Walls themselves, of which this gate is the crowning achievement. Built between two-hundred-seventy-one and two-hundred-seventy-five AD by Emperor Aurelian,…

Inside the towers of Porta San Sebastiano lies the Museo delle Mura, or the Museum of the Walls. This museum offers a rare opportunity to step inside the living organism of a Roman fortification. …

A little-known secret of Porta San Sebastiano is its role during the Second World War. Because of its massive walls and strategic location, the gate was repurposed by the military to house secret rooms and administrative offices. …

One of the greatest rewards for visiting this site is the access to the top of the towers and the walkways along the wall. From the summit of Porta San Sebastiano, you are treated to an amazing panoramic view of Rome. …

Just inside the gate, spanning the road, is the so-called Arch of Drusus. While long thought to be a triumphal arch, scholarly investigation has revealed it is actually a monumentalized section of the Aqua Antoniniana, an…

As we exit the gate and head south, we enter the first mile of the Via Appia Antica. This stretch of road is a 'quiet stretch of history just outside the city center'. …

Our exploration of Porta San Sebastiano concludes back at the foot of its massive towers. We have moved through seventeen hundred years of history, from the defensive anxieties of the late Roman Empire to the secret military…