Porta Metronia

The Porta Metronia was a gate in the Aurelian Walls on the southern slope of the Caelian Hill in Rome. Its name comes from a road recorded in ancient sources as "metropi via," which left the city here toward the Via Latina. Built between 271 and 275 under Emperor Aurelian, it was probably a minor single-arched passage. In the Middle Ages it was walled up and so preserved; next to it, in 1911, a modern double opening was cut through the wall for traffic and now carries the name. The original ancient gate remains visible, embedded in the wall line with threshold and partial arch. The adjoining Parco di Porta Metronia contains remains of the Aqua Claudia. Visitors typically combine the gate with a stop at the nearby Basilica of San Giovanni in Laterano.