Photo: LigaDue, CC BY 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons
Fortress / Tower, 1327
Porta Romana
City gate in Siena, Italy
- Within the UNESCO World Heritage Site “Historic Centre of Siena”
At a glance
- Type
- Fortress / Tower
- Period
- Middle Ages, 1327
- Protection
- Italian national heritage
- Coordinates
- 43°18′48″ N, 11°20′22″ E
History and description
Porta Romana is one of the portals in the medieval Walls of Siena. It is located on Via Cassia in Siena, region of Tuscany, Italy. The gate exits near the Basilica of San Clemente and leads south out of town to Via Enea Silvio Piccolomini.
History
The gate was built in 1327-1328 by Agnolo di Ventura and Agostino di Giovanni, and has a crenellated roofline with machicolation in front gate. The gate is complex, with two separate portals, separated by a small inner court, with the inner gatehouse taller than the outer one. The large arches are faced with travertine marble. The courtyard is surrounded by arrowslits. It was likely that the gate doors could be opened sequentially. The outer portal has a round bas-relief with the Roman Catholic IHS Christogram inside a sun symbol (San Bernardino Christogram).
In 1417, Taddeo di Bartolo was commissioned to paint the Madonna icon on the inner portal, dedicated to the protection of the city. The painting was further retouched by Sassetta and later Sano di Pietro who completed it in 1466. The painting depicted a Glory of Angels in lower arches, and a Coronation of the Virgin in the central arch. Due to the state of decay, the remaining fresco was transferred in 1978 to the Basilica of San Francesco, Siena.
Text from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia, under CC BY-SA 4.0. Full article: «Porta Romana».
Timeline
- 1327Built
Events and people from Wikidata (CC0).
Photos
Getting there
SienaTrain, nearest
2.5 km as the crow flies
Porta Romana
Distances are as the crow flies, not walking or driving.
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Nearby
See on the map
Ospedale psichiatrico di San Niccolò0.1 km
Collezione senese degli strumenti di Fisica0.2 km- Collezioni di Preistoria, archeologia classica, archeologia medievale0.2 km
- Museo della Contrada di Valdimontone0.2 km
Museo Bologna-Buonsignori0.2 km
Church of the Santuccio0.2 km
Museo della Società di esecutori di pie disposizioni0.3 km
Villa Il Pavone0.3 km
More fortresses and towers in Tuscany
- UNESCO
- UNESCO
Frequently asked questions
Where is Porta Romana?
Porta Romana is in Siena, in the province of Siena (Tuscany), Italy. GPS coordinates: 43.31321, 11.33956.
How old is Porta Romana?
Wikidata dates it to 1327.
What else is there to see near Porta Romana?
Nearby you’ll find: Ospedale psichiatrico di San Niccolò (100 m away), Collezione senese degli strumenti di Fisica (200 m away), Collezioni di Preistoria, archeologia classica, archeologia medievale (200 m away).
Sources and licences
Text. Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Data. Wikidata (CC0); opening hours and contacts OpenStreetMap (ODbL).
Photos. Wikimedia Commons, author and licence on every image.
Credits for the 9 photos
- PortaRomanaSienaOutside — LigaDue, CC BY 3.0
- Detail of Porta Romana - Siena - Italy — Adam63, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Giovanni di Stefano, lupa senese, da porta romana a siena, 01 — Sailko, CC BY 3.0
- Porta Romana - entering Siena — TSB GR, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Sassetta, Incoronazione della Vergine terminata da sano di pietro, 1447-1450, da porta romana a siena 00 — Sailko, CC BY 3.0
- Siena, fuori Porta Romana — Alienautic, CC BY 4.0
- Siena, mura viste da fuori porta pispini, verso porta romana — Sailko, CC BY 3.0
- PortaRomanaSienaFresco — LigaDue, CC BY 3.0
- Pic-VF4-IT33 Siena-Ponte d Arbia 01 (Siena-puerta Roma) — Paulusburg, CC BY-SA 4.0
Updated 28 October 2026. All sources and licences