Porta Settimiana, Rome, Guide du visiteur et quoi faire à proximité

Porta Settimiana is a small city gate on the edge of Trastevere in Rome, built in the late 15th century under Pope Alexander VI on the line of the ancient Aurelian Walls. It still marks the point where the lively streets of Trastevere meet Via della Lungara, the long road that runs toward the Vatican.

The story behind it

Rome's third-century Aurelian Walls once circled Trastevere on the west bank of the Tiber, and gates like this one controlled the way in. Alexander VI had the present gate put up at the end of the 1400s. From it, Via della Lungara runs straight to Porta Santo Spirito, which made it a handy link between Trastevere and the area around St Peter's.

The gate is also tied to one of Rome's best-loved legends. Raphael is said to have fallen for Margherita Luti, known as La Fornarina, the baker's daughter, who lived in Trastevere. The story goes that when the banker Agostino Chigi hired him to decorate his villa, now the Villa Farnesina, just down the road, Raphael was so distracted that Chigi let her live there so the work could be finished. Raphael died in 1520 at 37, and popular tradition blames his love life. Treat it as folklore rather than record, but it gives the neighbourhood its romance. A famous portrait traditionally identified as La Fornarina hangs in the Galleria Nazionale d'Arte Antica at Palazzo Barberini.

What to look for

• The gate is modest in size, a plain arch topped with battlements, which makes it easy to walk past if you are not looking.
• Stand under the arch and look along Via della Lungara to see how straight the road runs toward the Vatican side of the city.
• Look back toward Trastevere, where the gate opens onto narrow streets of ochre and rust-coloured houses with shuttered windows.
• Notice the buildings just beyond the gate, since Palazzo Corsini, home to the Galleria Corsini and the Accademia dei Lincei, and the Villa Farnesina are both a short walk away.

Tips for your visit

• The gate stands in the street and is free to see at any time. Ten to fifteen minutes is plenty for the gate itself.
• Evening is a good time, when the Trastevere lanes fill up and the stone takes on a warm tone.
• Combine it with the Villa Farnesina and Palazzo Corsini, but check current opening hours for both before you go.
• The cobbles are uneven, so wear comfortable shoes, and keep an eye out for traffic in the narrow street.

See it on a quest

Hidden Gems of Trastevere: Return Home is a good way to see Porta Settimiana because you arrive on foot as one stop of a longer route through Trastevere. The app tells you about each place as you reach it, and you solve a puzzle on the spot, so you look at the details around you instead of just passing through. One ticket covers the whole group, and you can start whenever suits you, with no guide and no fixed departure time.