The Porta San Sebastiano is a gate in the Aurelian Walls. It was originally called the Porta Appia, named after the Appian Way, which the gate crosses. The gate was built as part of an extensive series of fortifications under Emperor Aurelian, in the years between 272 and 279 AD. The gate, as well as the Aurelian Walls themselves, have been renovated repeatedly since their initial construction, as even during the low points of Roman history great effort was put into their maintenance as a status symbol. The gate’s name was changed in the late medieval period, likely due to the proximity of the Catacombs of St. Sebastian.

Today, the gate houses a museum, the Museo della Mura. Visiting the museum, which has no entry fee, allows one also to walk a part of the Aurelian Walls, and to take in the view from atop the Porta. It sits squarely atop a picturesque Via di Porta San Sebastiano, which is well worth walking down in its own right. Surrounding the Porta San Sebastiano is heavily wooded and little developed land, giving a sense of the landscape of the medieval disabitato.

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Edited by Julia Tassava (2026)]]>