Porta San Sebastiano

Description:

• Porta San Sebastiano was originally known as Porta Appia but has also had other names in the past. It was built by Aurelian in 275 CE and renovated by various emperors and popes over the centuries. Today it is one of the best of Rome's conserved gateways. The most important renovation works were carried out by Emperors Arcadius, Honorius and Theodosius, although its current appearance is owed to Belisarius and Narsete from the 6th century. An inscription engraved on the inside of the gate in the 14th-century characters records the defeat of Robert of Anjou, king of Naples, in 1327. But the gate also witnessed triumphal events such as the entrance to Rome of Charles V in 1536 after his expedition to Tunisia, and of Marcantonio Colonna in 1571 returning from the victory over the Turks at the Battle of Lepanto. Inside, the Museum of the Roman Walls displays interesting information and exhibits on the development of the city walls.
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