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| Night at Aurelian Walls, Porta Maggiore, nasoni fountain in foreground |
I've been going a little stir-crazy with the broken knee and crutches. Even with the wheelchair we rented, getting out is a production. So it has been easy to laze around the house instead of touring. Trouble is, with the recent rains and the continued warm weather, the mosquitos have taken over our lovely little garden (I now call it "the Swamp"). They only bite me and they seem to be out all day, so lazing around has its own challenges.
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| The Swamp, err, lovely garden |
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Our kind landlady left lots of mosquito equipment (this is
only a sample). They only worked so well for me ... |
To help my sanity, Brad suggested a late afternoon trip to Porta Maggiore, part of the Aurelian Walls. The walls, still largely intact around the city, enclose about 3,500 acres of Rome (including parts of Trastevere, on the west side of the river, but not reaching quite north enough to capture the area where our house is).
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| Our house on Via di Sant'Onofrio to left and Porta Maggiore to right |
Built around 275 AD by Emperor Aurelian (and Emperor Probus), the Aurelian replaced the smaller 4th century BC Servian Wall.
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| Aurelian walls in red, Servian in blue |
The Aurelian are also the reference point for taxi fares from Rome's airports--destinations inside the walls have a fixed fare (although most drivers try to charge you more).
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| A view from outside the walls |
We walked around and along the wall at Porta Maggiore, also known as Porta Prenestina (for the ancient Via Prenestina that runs through there). A majestic gate, made of white travertine, was incorporated into this part of the wall by Emperor Claudius in 52 AD.
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| Claudius Gate set into existing walls |
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| Claudius Gate from outside of walls |
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| Another view from outside with partially destroyed Tomb of the Baker in front |
The gate and walls supported two ancient aqueducts, Aqua Claudia and the Anio Novus, portions of each of which are still visible running along the top of the gateway.
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| The water flowed through "tunnels" at the top...how did it not leak? |
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| Rome old and new: From two block away...see the Gate and tunnels up top? |
The area is now a commuting hub with several trams and the train tracks close by, going to and from Termini station.
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| Porta Maggiore: It leads to the papal basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore |
After touring, we had a slice of pizza to tide us over (until the restaurants open at 7 or 7:30 pm) . . .
and then a nice meal at Osteria La Sol Fa, mine included veal intestine. Delicious.
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| Pasta con intestino di vitello |
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| Love from Porta Maggiore, Roma |
I love all the little maps you include in your posts. Thanks for taking the time to add those in.
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