![Porta Romana Florenz-2](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/43/Porta_Romana_Florenz-2.jpg)
The Porta Romana, once known as the Porta San Pier Gattolino was the southernmost gate in the 13th-century walls of the
Oltrarno
The Oltrarno (''beyond the Arno'') is a quarter of Florence, Italy. It is located south of the River Arno. It contains part of the historic centre of Florence and many notable sites such as the church Santo Spirito di Firenze, Palazzo Pitti, Bel ...
section of
Florence
Florence ( ; it, Firenze ) is a city in Central Italy and the capital city of the Tuscany region. It is the most populated city in Tuscany, with 383,083 inhabitants in 2016, and over 1,520,000 in its metropolitan area.Bilancio demografico an ...
, region of
Tuscany
Tuscany ( ; it, Toscana ) is a Regions of Italy, region in central Italy with an area of about and a population of about 3.8 million inhabitants. The regional capital is Florence (''Firenze'').
Tuscany is known for its landscapes, history, art ...
, Italy. It stands at the confluence of a number of roads: accessed from north by Via Romana, Via de' Serragli, and Viale Francesco Petrarca. In addition, a central road along the
Boboli Gardens
The Boboli Gardens ( it, Giardino di Boboli) is a historical park of the city of Florence that was opened to the public in 1766. Originally designed for the Medici, it represents one of the first and most important examples of the Italian garden, ...
begins near the gate, and allowed the inhabitants of the Pitti Palace to exit and enter Florence with minimal travel on city streets. Beyond the gates are the Via del
Poggio Imperiale
Poggio Imperiale is a town and ''comune'' in the province of Foggia in the Apulia region of southeast Italy.
Twin towns
* Vorë, Albania
Albania ( ; sq, Shqipëri or ), or , also or . officially the Republic of Albania ( sq, Republika e ...
and Via Senese. The latter led to Siena and points south such as Rome, hence the name. When the majority of the defensive walls of Florence were razed in the 19th century, only a few, and sometimes partial gate structures were left standing including
San Gallo Gate
The San Gallo Gate ( it, Porta San Gallo) is part of the city walls of Florence and is located in Piazza della Libertà, opposite the Triumphal Arch. History
The San Gallo Gate was begun according to the plans of Arnolfo di Cambio in 1284, but was ...
,
Tower of San Niccolò, and this gate with a snippet of
merlonated wall.
The 13th century walls and gates of the city were erected with the designs of various builders; among the main contributors were
Arnolfo di Cambio
Arnolfo di Cambio (c. 1240 – 1300/1310) was an Italian architect and sculptor. He designed Florence Cathedral and the sixth city wall around Florence (1284–1333), while his most important surviving work as a sculptor is the tomb of Cardin ...
, with contributions by
Orcagna
Andrea di Cione di Arcangelo (c. 1308 – 25 August 1368), better known as Orcagna, was an Italian painter, sculptor, and architect active in Florence. He worked as a consultant at the Florence Cathedral and supervised the construction of the fa ...
,
Giotto
Giotto di Bondone (; – January 8, 1337), known mononymously as Giotto ( , ) and Latinised as Giottus, was an Italian painter and architect from Florence during the Late Middle Ages. He worked during the Gothic/Proto-Renaissance period. Giot ...
and others. A plaque on the external wall claims the gate was erected in 1327. Originally and as demonstrated on the 1584 Map by
Stefano Buonsignori
Stefano is the Italian form of the masculine given name Στέφανος (Stefanos, Stephen). The name is of Greek origin, Στέφανος, meaning a person who made a significant achievement and has been crowned. In Orthodox Christianity the ach ...
the gate had a lower outer wall with a small courtyard dominated by the larger gate we see today; in this, the gate resembled the
Porta Romana of Siena. The gate had a large central entrance for horse-drawn carriages, and smaller lateral doors for pedestrian entry. The door retains its original massive, iron-clad doors. The outer arch has a weather-worn 13th-century fresco, depicting the enthroned Virgin and saints.
The interior portion of the gate has two marble plaques: one commemorates the 1515 entrance into Florence of the Medici
Pope Leo X
Pope Leo X ( it, Leone X; born Giovanni di Lorenzo de' Medici, 11 December 14751 December 1521) was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 9 March 1513 to his death in December 1521.
Born into the prominent political an ...
, and the other the 1535 entry of
Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor
Charles V, french: Charles Quint, it, Carlo V, nl, Karel V, ca, Carles V, la, Carolus V (24 February 1500 – 21 September 1558) was Holy Roman Emperor and Archduke of Austria from 1519 to 1556, King of Spain (Crown of Castile, Castil ...
.
When
Cosimo I
Cosimo I de' Medici (12 June 1519 – 21 April 1574) was the second Duke of Florence from 1537 until 1569, when he became the first Grand Duke of Tuscany, a title he held until his death.
Life
Rise to power
Cosimo was born in Florence on 12 ...
augmented the walls around Florence, at this site, he destroyed the church of San Pier Gattolino that had stood at the site since at least 1068. A subsequent church was rebuilt, which was restored in 1808, when frescoes of
Giuseppe Castagnoli
Giuseppe Castagnoli (1754 – 1832) was an Italian painter, mainly of quadratura and ornamentation.
Biography
Known to be active in Prato
Prato ( , ) is a city and ''comune'' in Tuscany, Italy, the capital of the Province of Prato. The c ...
and
Domenico Del Podestà were added. The church was decorated by
Giusto Mariani and Romanelli. It is said the term Gattolino is a corruption of Gattuario, others say it was a corruption of Catelina. Others attribute it to the Italian word "gattice", designating a type of white poplar. The church is also called the parish church of Serumido, derived from the name of Ser Umido di Domenico Grazzini, who helped to fund its rebuilding.
Just outside the wall was the 14th-century church and convent of San Giusto della Calza of the Knights of Jerusalem.
[L. Biadi, page 179.]
A controversial modern marble statue of two women, named "Dietro-Front" ("Turnabout"), was erected in the circle before the wall by the artist
Michelangelo Pistoletto
Michelangelo Pistoletto (born 23 June 1933) is an Italian painter, action and object artist, and art theorist. Pistoletto is acknowledged as one of the main representatives of the Italian Arte Povera. His work mainly deals with the subject mat ...
.
References
{{reflist
Gates of Florence