THE ANCIENT DOORS
City of Amelia Tourist Portal
PORTA ROMANA
Porta Romana is the most central and most majestic of the four gates that allow access to the historical center of the city. The others are: Porta Leone IV, Porta Posterola, Porta della Valle, which is also the most modern of the four.
The current appearance dates back to the sixteenth century, when it was modified and rebuilt in travertine. In medieval times, the Gate was called “Busolina”, whose name we do not know the origin of. In 1703, emerging unscathed from a major earthquake, the Amerini dedicated their city to the Virgin Mary, placing a plaque on the pediment of the door with the inscription: ” CIVITAS MARIÆ VIRGINIS IN NOMINE IESV A TERRÆMOTV LIBERATA A.D. MDCCIII” and embedded below it a brick image of Our Lady of the Assumption. The image currently visible on the Porta Romana is a perfect metal copy of the original wooden board, which was created in the nineteenth century to replace an older representation, which is currently preserved, after careful restoration, in a room of the Museum. The access gap consists of a round arch, four meters wide and six meters high; the maximum height of the Gate is 16 meters while the maximum width is approximately 10.90 meters.
The Gate, fully restored by the end of 2013, is surmounted by embrasures in Renaissance brick and still preserves the two doors made of cedar wood, whilst in the barrel shaped vault a fresco appears with the city’s crest: we find the acronym A.P.C.A., which stands for “Antiani Populi Civitatis Ameriae” (“THE ELDERS OF THE CITY OF AMELIA”), in a white silver band on a field of blue. This was the most important elective organ of the free city, from the time of the Statutes of the XIV century. During the historical events, reminiscent of the ancient statutes of 1346, taking place in August, the Gate, with an impressive ceremony, is closed and then reopened to accommodate the Podestà (the chief magistrate of a city state) from Rome.
PORTA LEONE
In the middle of 9th century Pope Leo IV (ruling from the year 847 until his death in 855) reinforced the western stretch of the city walls probably to improve the defense of the city against Saracen raids. Another pontiff with the same name, Pope Leo X (born Giovanni de’ Medici, Firenze 1475 – Roma 1521) ordered a new work of fortification be carried out on the city walls a few centuries later. There are known sketches (dated 1517-8) for the project by Antonio da Sangallo il Giovane (Firenze 1484 – Terni 1546), reproducing the ancient walls, that survive in the Uffizi Gallery, Florence (Department of Prints and Drawings). However, the gate we admire has formed part of the restoration of the walls by Pope Leo IV and is named after him, not for the following pontiff and patron that lived during the 16th century.
For this reason the gate is dated to the Medieval Age, although traces of the Roman gateway survive here at the base of the current structure. At the top we see instead a prominent bartizan, which is a rectangular turret, equipped with loopholes that allowed the guards to defend the gate located below without being exposed. The gate gives access to the neighborhood bearing the same name, where since ancient times most of the artisans and craftsmen used to live and work. Blacksmiths, carpenters, coalmen, farriers, bakers and innkeepers had their workshops in this area, which is still today one of the most picturesque in town. The stretch of walls rebuilt by order of Pope Leo IV included also Porta del Sole. This gate was discovered after the bombardment of the Second World War, which occurred on January 25th, 1944. The remains of the road that led to it have also been excavated, in the gardens just inside the walls.
A drawbridge must have served the gate, which is somewhat higher than street level. Allt the walls around Pope Leo’s Gate suffered damage in the Second World War and some rebuilding was carried out in the 1950s. Repairs and excavations newly held in 1998-2000 unearthed ceramics from the 3rd century BC and an inscription on the base of a statue, which records that the Decurions (representatives of the municipal government) had dedicated the statue to Cornelius Saloninus, the son of the Emperor Galienus (about 218 – 268 AD). The inscription must date to the period between 258 AD, when Saloninus became Caesar, and 260 AD, the year of his death.
A 30 meter section of the walls, some 200 meters distant from Pope Leo’s Gate clockwise, along Via Nocicchia, collapsed in 2006 and is still in refurbishment. There are plans to establish, at the end of their complete restoration, an archaeological park where to preserve the Medieval walkway guard that runs above the walls, recognizable by a low wall that served as a parapet. The guards patrol in fact marched along this walkway. For this reason a cylindrical watchtower (which nowadays houses a public elevator), that probably provided accommodation to the guard, stands close to this section.
PORTA POSTEROLA
Church of St. Jerome 15th century Posterola Gate dates from the 13th century and it is an interesting construction composed of two doorways placed perpendicularly to one another. Between the two doorways, there is a small courtyard where the guardsmen, who lived in the square tower (now equipped as an apartment), checked the cart shipments and the people’s passage, demanding the possible duties. Various interventions are documented in 1340 and in 1402-1405, when the tower was repaired and at the beginning of the 17th century, when the drawbridge was strenghtened.
The gate takes its name from a linguistic corruption of the Late Latin word posterula = rear, used here in the sense of secondary entrance, placed in a less flashy location than the main gate, which in the case of Amelia was definitely Porta Romana. Generally a posterola allowed the passage of one person at a time, in order to better control the access.
PORTA LA VALLE
The Gate of the Valley is situated at a remarkable height compared with the 25 Civic Route that passes under it. It represents the only entrance gate in the north-west section of the Medieval Walls and it is reachable by foot from the external part of the Walls just through a path that starts from the so-called“Winter Gardens”.
It is a panoramic point of observation and, during the past, it was a decisive military place on the Amerina Valley, that offers an incredible view of the hills that softly downgrade towards the Teverina of the Umbria and Lazio side. The current Gate comes from the 13th century and a circle-map tower with a remarkable diameter rises near of it. It is itself too the witness of the work of the city Walls remake and strengthening which occurred in that period and that interested the entire Walls perimeter .New city entries fortified with adjacent guard tower were purpose-built to defend the city, as for Posterola Gate. Gate of the Valley gave the name to the Valley district, once known as “Vallis”: the life of its inhabitants was closely linked to the functions of access and defense of the gate.
The Council of Elders had decided that after closing the city gates they had to be never opened, and that in the case of noise, were placed at his watch 25 men The garrison stationed here was used to control the movements of enemy troops which might be spotted by the castle of Porchiano or towers along the route of the Via Amerina. Inside the district, the high walls protected the gardens and the low houses which, in case of danger, had to be patrolled and have the windows clogged at the expense of the owners. Even today, walking in Via Piacenti, you can admire the lush gardens and terraced gardens of private property.
PORTA DI PANTANELLI
The Gate of the Valley is situated at a remarkable height compared with the 25 Civic Route that passes under it. It represents the only entrance gate in the north-west section of the Medieval Walls and it is reachable by foot from the external part of the Walls just through a path that starts from the so-called“Winter Gardens”. It is a panoramic point of observation and, during the past, it was a decisive military place on the Amerina Valley, that offers an incredible view of the hills that softly downgrade towards the Teverina of the Umbria and Lazio side.
The current Gate comes from the 13th century and a circle-map tower with a remarkable diameter rises near of it. It is itself too the witness of the work of the city Walls remake and strengthening which occurred in that period and that interested the entire Walls perimeter .New city entries fortified with adjacent guard tower were purpose-built to defend the city, as for Posterola Gate. Gate of the Valley gave the name to the Valley district, once known as “Vallis”: the life of its inhabitants was closely linked to the functions of access and defense of the gate. The Council of Elders had decided that after closing the city gates they had to be never opened, and that in the case of noise, were placed at his watch 25 men.
The garrison stationed here was used to control the movements of enemy troops which might be spotted by the castle of Porchiano or towers along the route of the Via Amerina. Inside the district, the high walls protected the gardens and the low houses which, in case of danger, had to be patrolled and have the windows clogged at the expense of the owners. Even today, walking in Via Piacenti, you can admire the lush gardens and terraced gardens of private property.