Panorama showing the inside of Porta San Paolo in south Rome, one of the ancient gates of the Aurelian Wall. Today this gate is in the middle of a very busy road junction and tram stop. The tram can be clearly seen in the picture.

Porta San Paolo - Rome visitor guide showing a virtual tour of 'Porta San Paolo' linked to an interactive map with local and travel information. 360° panoramas from Roma.

Porta San Paolo is a southern gate in the Aurelian Walls that were built around Rome between 271 and 275 by Emperors Aurelian and Probus. This gate was first called Porta Ostiensis as it stands at the beginning of via Ostiensis. It was renamed Porta San Paolo as it leads to St. Paul basilica outside the walls. Right next to the (southern) outside of the gate is the Pyramid of Gaius Cestius. The main road north of Porta Sao Paolo passes the Circus Maximus (Circo Massimo) and ends up at the Arch of Constantine and the Colosseum of Rome.

When first built, the Aurelian Walls were 3.5m thick and 8m high with 383 square towers spaced every 30m along the 12.5 miles circumference. A short time later the hieght of the walls increased to 16m. Other important gates on southern Rome include the Porta San Sebastiano at the beginning of the Apian Way and Porta Maggiore. On the northern edge the most popular gate is Porta di Popolo next to the Piazza di Popolo.

Metro: Piramide (B)