Servian Wall (black) and Aurelian Wall (red)
A Tourist in Rome - Servian Wall and Gates
| Location: | Various locations, see text below |
| Metro: | Various locations, see text below |
| Time: | about 10 minutes per location |
| Cost: | Free |
| Hours: | Viewable at any time (except as noted below) |
The Servian Wall (the black wall in the map below), also known as the Republican Wall, was a defensive wall constructed in the early 4th century BC, and named after the 6th king of Rome, Servius Tullius, who ruled from about 550 BC until about 510 BC. It superseded defensive walls that might have been dismantled in response to Etruscan demands, called the Archaic Wall. [The Archaic Wall was built in the 6th-5th centuries BC from grey granular tuff blocks, 272 cm (9 feet) on a side, and can be seen along Via Venti Settembre, between Porta Collina (at Via Goito) and Largo Santa Susanna.] The Servian Wall was itself superceeded by the taller, stronger and much larger Aurelian Wall, built between 271 AD and 275 AD. The Servian Wall was 32 feet tall in places, 12 feet thick at its base, and 7 miles long, surrounding an area of 1.6 square miles. It was built from large blocks of tufa. To my eyes, it looks like a rough wall made of square blocks piled on top of each other, with the joints being very well done. Here we are, 2500 years after its construction, and there are not really any gaps between the stones. It is believed to have had 16 gates, but only three still exist (Porta Sanqualis, Porta Esquilina = Arch of Gallienus, and Arcus Caelimontani). The Servian Wall was maintained throughout the age of the Roman Republic and the early Empire, but by this time, Rome became well-protected by its military strength and the city was essentially not walled for the first three centuries of the Roman Empire. However, when German tribes attacked the frontier in the 3rd century, Aurelian had the larger Aurelian Wall built to protect Rome. In the end, even that was not enough.
The longest surviving stretch of the Servian Wall, 308 feet long, and the most easily accessible, is on the left side (as you face the station) of the front of the Termini train station (1st-4th photos below). The nearest metro station is, of course, Termini. The wall is nowadays behind a protective iron fence (but I snuck the camera between the bars for the 3rd abd 4th photos). This part of the wall was the northeastern boundary of the city. A part of the wall is also found in the McDonald's inside the station (5th-8th photos below). Another long surviving stretch, 98 feet long, is across Viale Enrico de Nicola, behind a fence for the Radisson Hotel.
A part of the wall that makes me wonder "how could they have done that?" is at the north end of Via Antonio Salandra, where it intersects Via Giosue Carducci and turns into Via Piedmonte. This is about 4 blocks straight north from the Repubblica metro station. At this intersection, a segment of the wall was chopped into three parts during the 19th century to let the roads pass through. Couldn't they have respected history and made a roundabout? The longest section of this wall is under a porch, behind columns and an iron fence (1st and 3rd images below). Another part is a small section at the top of brick repairs (4th image below). The third section of the wall is actually inside a building behind a large glass wall. When the workers inside that building saw that I wanted to see the wall, they were kind to me and welcomed me inside (2nd photo below).
| Location: | 41.88023, 12.48301 one third of the way from the Circo Massimo metro station to the Piramide metro station |
| Metro: | Circo Massimo |
| Time: | about 15 minutes |
| Cost: | Free |
| Hours: | Viewable at any time |
Two very cool pieces of the wall are at the western end of Piazza Albania and the nearby Via di Sant'Anselmo, about 1/3 of the way from the Circo Massimo metro station to the Piramide metro station. The 138-foot-long part in the piazza is shown in the 1st photo below, and features 12 layers of tufa blocks and an arch for a defensive catapult from the late Republic. Just a short walk uphill along Via di Sant'Anselmo shows an awesome 141-foot-long stretch of the wall where you can easily see both sides of the wall, and also a cross-section of the wall in order to learn a bit about its construction (2nd and 3rd photos below). The Porta Raudusculana, one of the 16 gates in the Servian Wall, was located here, but no longer exists.
| Location: | 41.89795, 12.50257 Three blocks east from Santa Maria Maggiore, or four blocks southeast from Termini |
| Metro: | Vittorio Emanuele or Termini, located along my Southeastern Sights Walking Tour |
| Time: | about 10 minutes |
| Cost: | Free |
| Hours: | Viewable at any time |
| Location: | 41.89639, 12.48681 Behind Trajan's Market, just down the street from the entrance to the Museum of Imperial Fora |
| Metro: | Colosseo or Cavour |
| Time: | about 10 minutes |
| Cost: | Free |
| Hours: | Viewable during banking hours |
On the northern edge of the circle, at no 157B is a branch of the Bank of Italy. Go inside the courtyard and there's a guardhouse to the left where they'll give you nasty looks and run out to "greet" you. After you ask to see the "Roman Gate" they'll show you that just across the path from the guardhouse, on the right, is a glass door behind which is one of the few remaining gates of the Servian Wall - this is the Porta Sanqualis. For some reason, photos are strictly forbidden. I even went back a second day to try to get a picture of it but you'd have thought I was trying to rob the bank, those guards came rushing out from their post so quickly waving their hands. It was kind of fun, but still really pissed me off. Anyhow, although I could not get a photo, there's one at lower-left, so raspberries to the bank. There, I feel a little better now.
Since this is a still-existing gate in the Servian Wall, we'll begin our survey of the 16 gates here, and proceed clockwise around the wall from here.
See also:Porta Salutaris, which no longer exists, was along modern day Via delle Dataria, where the Temple of Salus used to be, somewhere near here.
Porta Quirinalis, which no longer exists, was along modern day Via Quattro Fontane, where the Temple of Quirinus used to be, somewhere near here.
Porta Collina, which no longer exists, was at the modern day intersection of Via XX Settembre and Via Goito, somewhere near here. The remains of the gate were cataloged, then demolished, when the Palace of the Ministry of Finance was built. This spot begins a vulnerable section of the wall where were not hillsides which could improve the defense of the wall, so the Agger, a fortified stretch of wall made of dirt and stones began here, ending at Porta Esquilina. The Agger was 4265 feet long and 118 feet wide, with a 55-foot moat.
Porta Viminalis, which no longer exists, was at modern day Piazza dei Cinquecento, in front of Termini, somewhere near here, and marked the center of the Agger fortification.
| Location: | 41.89578, 12.50136 On Via di San Vito, which is one block southeast from the church of Santa Maria Maggiore |
| Metro: | Vittorio Emanuele, located along my Southeastern Sights Walking Tour |
| Time: | about 15 minutes |
| Cost: | Free |
| Hours: | Viewable at any time |
The Arch of Gallienus, also known as the Arch of St. Vitus after the church the arch is located against, is located on the tiny road Via di San Vito, which is one block southeast from the church of Santa Maria Maggiore. The nearest metro stop is Vittorio Emanuele. Its original name was the Porta Esquilina, an ancient Roman arch in the Servian Wall, and it marked the end of the Agger fortifications of the Servian Wall which began at Porta Collina. During the time of Augustus, two minor arches were added at the sides of the major one, giving the arch a monumental appearance. In 262, Aurelius Victor rededicated the arch to Gallienus (Emperor from 253 - 268 AD) and his wife Cornelia Salonina. The surviving single arch (1st and 2nd photos below) is made of white travertine, and is 29 feet tall, 24 feet wide, and 11 feet deep. The arch looks like it's about to fall down (especially evident in 3rd photo below); I hope it's been stabilized properly. The side arches still existed in the 15th century, but they were demolished when the church was built and no trace of them remains today. The inscription (photo below) "To Gallienus, the most clement princeps, whose unconquered virtus is only outdone by his pietas, and to Salonina, most holy Augusta, Aurelius Victor, the excellent man, [dedicated this] in complete devotion to their numines and majesties" was actually just the end of the original inscription. The large blank space above them had marble slabs with the beginning of the inscription. The holes for the metal pegs that mounted those marble slabs are still visible.
On the other side of the church, on Via Carlo Alberto, a very small fragment of the Servian Wall remains (photo below), jutting out from a yellow building onto the sidewalk, with bricks supporting the remains.
Porta Querquetulana, which no longer exists, was a few blocks east of the Colosseum, perhaps where the Basilica e Monastero Agostiniano Santi Quattro Coronati now stands, somewhere near here.
Porta Caelimontana, located here, was one of the gates in the Servian Wall. It is located near the church of Santo Stefano Rotondo on Via di San Paolo della Croce, right off Via Claudia, the road that runs southeast from the Colosseum. The nearest metro stop is Colosseo. Once Rome expanded, the gate became obsolete and was altered into a simple archway called the Arch of Dolabella. In the first century AD a branch of the Aqua Claudia called Arcus Caelimontani was built to supply water to the Caelian Hill. The aqueduct crossed this spot by resting on top of the archway, and its remains are still visible today.
| Location: | 41.88387, 12.49049 Across the street from the southern end of the Circus Maximus, along the Via della Terme di Caracalla |
| Metro: | Circo Massimo |
| Time: | about 10 minutes |
| Cost: | Free |
| Hours: | Viewable at any time |
Porta Capena was a gate in the Servian Wall from which Via Appia (the Appian Way) originally started. The remains of that gate stand across the street from the southeastern end of the Circus Maximus, in Piazza di Porta Capena, along the Via della Terme di Caracalla. The Via della Terme di Caracalla was once the start of the Appian Way, whereas now it starts 3/4 mile further south. The remains are a chunky rectangular ruin made of bricks and overgrown with plants. The ruin we see today might actually have been part of a house or another structure built against the old wall rather than the gate itself, but the placement is correct for it to be the Porta Capena.
Porta Naevia, which no longer exists, was near the church of Saint Balbina, somewhere near here.
Porta Raudusculana, which no longer exists, was was on Viale Aventino near Piazza Albania, and was discussed above.
Porta Lavernalis, which no longer exists, was south of the Aventine Hill, at Via Marmorata, perhaps somewhere near here.
Porta Trigemina, which no longer exists, was near the church of Santa Maria in Cosmedin, somewhere near here.
Porta Flumentana, which no longer exists, was near the Temple of Portunus, somewhere near here.
Porta Carmentalis, which no longer exists, was near the Sacred Area of San Omobono, somewhere near here.
Porta Fontinalis, which no longer exists, was near the Victor Emmanuel Monument. Visible traces surrounded by flower beds are in front of the Museum of the Risorgimento, somewhere near here. This was the main gate into Rome from the north.
That brings us back to Porta Sanqualis, where we began the survey of the gates in the Servian Wall.
Two more potential gates should be mentioned. Porta Catularia was located near the foot of the stairway leading up to Piazza del Campidoglio, somewhere near here. Its size and purpose are quite uncertain, but it was not part of the city wall. Similarly, the Triumphal Portico di Monte Caprino, below, was not part of the city wall.
| Location: | 41.89105, 12.48079 Across the street (Via del Teatro di Marcello) from San Nicola in Carcere |
| Metro: | Colosseo or Circo Massimo and Bus #160, or see it on my To the Forum Boarium and Beyond Walking Tour instead |
| Time: | about 10 minutes |
| Cost: | Free |
| Hours: | Viewable at any time |
The Triumphal Portico di Monte Caprino exists today as several large arches at a busy intersection, with a few scattered remants on either side. The demolition of some medieval houses led to the discovery that they had been built making use of a very old Roman portico; it is located at the foot of Monte Caprino, the southern peak of Campidoglio. Some archaeologists believe the portico to be Portico Triumphalis, a sort of arch of the 1st century BC on the path followed by the triumphal processions. This portion of the Servian Wall was characterized by a roofed arcade, up to this gate. The materials and styles of this gate are characteristic of the first century BC. This might be the Portico Minucia referred to in ancient texts. The main part of the portico, which is obvious when you look across the street from the church of San Nicola in Carcere is shown in the 1st photo below, and that view is looking at what I'll call the "front" of the monument. Closer views from this angle are in the 2nd and 3rd photos below, the view slightly to the left is shown in the 4th photo below, the view straight on to the left side is shown in the 5th photo below, and the view from the right, clearly showing that this was an arcade between two walls of arches, is in the 6th photo below.
Other fragments of the arcade are visible to the left (uphill) of these large arches across from the church, toward the Theatre of Marcellus (1st and 2nd photos below). A few fragments are also visible across the street in the corner of the Sacred Area of San Omobono (3rd photo below).
The view from behind the portico is shown in the 1st photo below. When I turned around 180 degrees from the point where I took that 1st photo from, I could see more columns heading up the hill toward the Tarpeian Rock, as in the 2nd photo below. Walking beyond those columns and facing back toward the portico yields the view in the 3rd photo below. It looks like maybe there was a T-shape involved here, with the base of the T coming from the Tarpeian Rock along the street named Vico Jugario, and the crossbar of the T going right and left along Via del Teatro di Marcello. Looking up from the front of the portico yields the view in the 4th photo below.
