Mura Imperiali
Rome’s Imperial Walls, like the historic Aurelian Walls, are an essential stop for those who wish to discover Rome’s ancient history. Undertaking a tour of the walls by Vespa, scooter, bike, or even Tuk Tuk is a unique experience that allows you to explore the city in a fun and dynamic way. The imperial-era walls represent a masterpiece of Roman engineering, built to defend the city from outside attacks and still visible in many parts of Rome today.
What you need to know about the Imperial Walls
Key Features
Extent and structure: The walls stretched for about 19 kilometers, surrounding the seven hills of Rome and including areas once excluded from the city limits. The walls were about 8 meters high (in some areas they were raised to 16 meters under Emperor Honorius) and 3.5 meters thick, with cylindrical towers every 30 meters, essential for military defense.
Construction materials: They were built using mainly brickwork (bricks) and cementitious work (mortar and stone fragments), materials that guaranteed strength and durability. The use of these materials reflected a typical building practice of the time, which sought to combine solidity and speed of construction.
Gateways and Entrances: The Aurelian Walls included several gateways leading to major thoroughfares. Some of the best known gates are Porta Maggiore, Porta San Sebastiano, Porta Latina, and Porta San Paolo. Each gate was fortified, with towers and a structure capable of resisting attack.
Historical and defensive importance: The walls remained one of the city’s main defensive structures until the Middle Ages, when Rome was threatened by new forces, such as the Goths and Vandals. Over the centuries, they were restored and modified several times, especially during the medieval and Renaissance periods, to provide updated protection for the city. Even today, the Aurelian Walls stand as a witness to the glorious past of the Roman Empire and the strategic importance of the city.
Current status: Many parts of the walls are still visible and in good condition, especially thanks to various restorations. To walk along the Aurelian Walls today is to walk a piece of Rome’s history, admiring how this structure has managed to withstand time and centuries of history. The Aurelian Walls tell a lot about imperial Rome and its evolution into a city increasingly exposed to external threats. Here are more interesting details:
Construction and historical context:
Reasons for construction: Before the Aurelian Walls were built, Rome was protected only by Servian walls, dating back to the 4th century BC. By the 3rd century AD, pressures on the empire’s borders and increasing instability led Emperor Aurelian to build new defenses.
Rapid timing: The walls were built in a very short time (about five years) to deal with an emergency situation. Aurelian ordered the use of techniques to speed up the work and to integrate pre-existing buildings, such as part of the Circus of Maxentius and the Castrensian amphitheater, into the walls themselves.
Structure and defensive innovations
Towers and defensive architecture: Cylindrical towers every 30 meters served for the positioning of guards and weapons. During the siege, these towers allowed a full view of the attackers, improving defensive coordination.
Double walls: In some places, especially near the main gates, the walls were reinforced by a second row of walls, adding an additional layer of protection.
Moat and ramparts: In many sections, there was a moat in front of the walls, up to 3 meters wide and up to 2 meters deep, to slow down attackers.
The main doors
Porta Maggiore: Built over ancient aqueducts, Porta Maggiore is among the grandest. It served as a passageway for the ancient Via Prenestina and Via Labicana, two important communication routes.
Porta Appia (now Porta San Sebastiano): One of the best-preserved gates, it served as an access point to the Via Appia, the regina viarum, and was an important access point to southern Italy.
Porta San Paolo: Facing the Via Ostiense, it was the main access to the port of Ostia and one of the main trade routes to Rome.
Restorations and transformations over time
Restorations by Honorius: In 401-402 A.D., during the reign of Emperor Honorius, the walls were restored and raised to a height of 16 meters. This restoration strengthened the defensive capacity, bringing the walls to the appearance that can still be seen in many sections today.
Middle Ages and Renaissance: Many of the towers and gates were restored by Roman popes and nobles during the Middle Ages to maintain an effective defense and symbolize the power of the Church over Rome.
Cultural impact
Symbol of resilience: The Aurelian Walls represented a symbol of Rome’s resilience against invasion. In 537, during the siege of the Goths, the walls enabled Rome to hold out because of their solidity.
Contemporary use: Today, many sections of the walls have become part of Rome’s urban landscape. Some gates have been adapted to pedestrian paths and tour areas, allowing visitors to stroll along the ancient fortifications.
Archaeological hub: The wall area is also an important archaeological site, where scholars continue to uncover details about the ancient Roman defense system and building techniques.
The Aurelian Walls are thus more than a military structure: they represent a living testimony to the transition from a glorious and inviolable Rome to a city that, for the first time, found itself vulnerable, forcing the emperors to strengthen the defenses and their presence in the capital.
Curiosities
The inclusion of pre-existing buildings: When Aurelian ordered the construction of the walls, no time was wasted demolishing or moving existing buildings. Instead, several structures were incorporated directly into the walls to speed up construction and take advantage of existing resources. These buildings include the Circus of Maxentius, the Castrense amphitheater, and sections of aqueducts, such as the one on which Porta Maggiore is built.
An ‘ecological’ and recycling project: It could be said that the Romans were pioneers of “recycling.” In building the walls, in fact, materials such as stones and bricks from other, older structures were reused. Some remains of statues, columns, and architectural fragments have been found embedded in the walls, a sign of the practice of reusing materials to save time and resources.
The Aurelian Walls as a place for executions: During the Middle Ages, the walls were used for public executions. Some towers and sections of the walls were places of detention and sentencing for prisoners, especially during the most turbulent times, when the city was exposed to internal conflicts and sieges. Prisoners were sometimes executed on the wall walkways as an intimidating sign to the population.
Gates transformed into religious symbols: Some gates in the walls, particularly Porta San Sebastiano and Porta San Paolo, were dedicated to the saints and protectors of Rome as time went on. For example, Porta Appia was renamed Porta San Sebastiano because it was connected to the nearby Basilica of San Sebastiano, one of the seven most important pilgrimage sites in Rome.
Shelter during World War II bombing: During World War II, Romans used the Aurelian Walls as a shelter against bombing. The walls provided shelter and safety for citizens, who sought refuge in the interior spaces and towers, which were used as air raid shelters during that dark period.
Aurelian Walls as a symbolic boundary until the unification of Italy: Until the unification of Italy in 1870, the Aurelian Walls served as a symbolic boundary for the city of Rome and demarcated the area considered the “holy city” under papal control. When the bersaglieri entered through the famous “breach of Porta Pia,” they not only ended papal rule over Rome, but marked a symbolic and political change in the city’s history.
Watchtowers turned into residences: After the fall of the Roman Empire, the towers and some sections of the walls were turned into private residences. During the Middle Ages, Roman nobles and powerful families occupied these fortifications, turning them into fortified residences. Some sections of the walls were even connected to palaces and noble villas.
Presence of hidden and underground sections: There are portions of the Aurelian Walls today that are hidden from view. Some sections are located under modern buildings or buried over the centuries due to rising ground. Archaeologists believe that there may still be unknown sections of the walls, which could reveal new details about their construction and function. These details make the Aurelian Walls a unique and fascinating monument, not only as a defensive structure, but as a symbol of a past intertwined with Rome’s social and cultural history.
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