Porta Romana, Milan, Italy
Posted by: 
Torgut
N 45° 27.135 E 009° 12.124
32T E 515800 N 5033211
This arch used to be part of the walls of Milan, and is now a freestanding arch.
Waymark Code: WMF39W
Location: Lombardia, Italy
Date Posted: 08/15/2012
Views: 12
From Wikipedia (
visit link)
Porta Romana ("Roman Gate") is a former city gate of Milan, Italy. In its present form, the gate dates back to the 16th century Spanish walls of Milan; its origins, anyway, can be traced further back to the Roman walls of the city, which had a corresponding "Roman Gate" roughly in the same area.
The name "Porta Romana" is used both to refer to the gate proper and to the surrounding district ("quartiere"), part of the Zone 4 administrative division of Milan, located south-east of the city centre.
The Roman walls of Milan already had a gate facing in the same direction as Porta Romana; yet it was located much closer to the city centre, in a place that corresponds to what is now Piazza Missori. In the Middle Ages (12th century) the walls were enlarged, and the gate was moved outwards in the direction of modern Corso di Porta Venezia. In the 16th century, a third system of walls was built under the Spanish rule, and the gate was moved further away from the centre to its current location. The construction of the gate was completed by 1596, on the occasion of Queen Margaret of Spain visiting Milan. For two centuries, Porta Romana was the most sumptuous gate of Milan.
Location and structure
Porta Romana is located at the centre of a city square called Piazza Medaglie d'Oro, about 2 km south-east of the city centre. It is placed at the conjunction of several major streets, namely Corso Lodi (to the south east), Viale Montenero (to the north east), and Corso di Porta Romana (leading north west, towards the Duomo).
The structure of the gate is inspired by Roman triumphal arches of the doric order.