The coronation procession followed a pattern: beginning in the Vatican for the consecration and the papal area to cross the river and go to city, to the archeological zone, and then to the churches. Among others, Pope Innocent III’s coronation…

By the time Pope Leo IV (847-855) fortified Porta Portese (Rome's southernmost gate) with three defensive towers to combat Muslim pirates, the Ripa Grande (depicted on Antonio Tempesta's map of Rome, seen above) had emerged as one of Rome's premiere…