PORTA DEL POPOLO

The Porta del Popolo, or Porta Flaminia, is an opening in the Aurelian Walls of Rome, marking the border between Piazza del Popolo and Piazzale Flaminio. Strategic for the Via Flaminia, the gate has always played more of a traffic management role than a defensive one. Pope Sixtus IV found it semi-buried in the 15th century and superficially restored it. The current shape is a reconstruction from the 16th century. Michelangelo designed the exterior facade, executed by Nanni di Baccio Bigio, drawing inspiration from the Arch of Titus. The columns come from St. Peter's Basilica, while the original circular towers were replaced by two square towers.

The internal facade, created by Gian Lorenzo Bernini, commemorates the entry in 1655 of Queen Christina of Sweden. In 1887, two side arches were opened for traffic, demolishing the towers of Sixtus IV. During the works, remains of the ancient Aurelian structure and the tomb of Publius Aelius Gutta Calpurnianus, a Roman charioteer from the 2nd century AD, emerged.