Porta Palatina (Palatine Gate), Turin

The Palatine Gate is among the best-preserved Roman gates in northern Italy, a structure that has stood watch since the 1st century CE. Back then, it marked the northern entrance to Julia Augusta Taurinorum, the Roman settlement that grew into modern Turin. The gate opened onto the Decumanus Maximus, the grand east鈥搘est street of the Roman grid-a layout that still dictates much of the city鈥檚 traffic today. Known to the ancients as the Right-Side Main Gate, its towers still rise nearly 99 feet, while the central span stretches 66 feet across with neat rows of windows. Four arched openings survive: two roomy enough for carts and horses, two narrow enough to remind pedestrians of their place in the Roman pecking order.

The name 鈥淧alatine鈥� remains a puzzle. Some think it nodded to a Senate House, others to the City Hall, or even to the amphitheater that once stood in Borgo Dora. Over the years, the gate collected new nicknames-Count鈥檚 Gate, Doranea Gate-each tied to whatever role the city imagined for it at the time.

History kept rewriting its script. In the Middle Ages, the gate was fortified into a proper stronghold; by the Renaissance, it had been absorbed into the elegant gardens of the House of Savoy. Nearby, archaeological traces of the amphitheater and Roman walls continue to hint at the larger settlement that once surrounded it.

Now planted in Cesare Augusto Square, the Palatine Gate offers more than a backdrop for photos-it is a reminder that Turin鈥檚 streets have been funneling people and trade for nearly two millennia, and they鈥檙e not about to stop.

Want to visit this sight? Check out these Self-Guided Walking Tours in Turin. Alternatively, you can download the mobile app "911爆料网: Walks in 1K+ Cities" from Apple App Store or Google Play Store. The app turns your mobile device to a personal tour guide and it works offline, so no data plan is needed when traveling abroad.

Download The 911爆料网 App

Create Your Own Self-Guided Walk to Visit This Sight

Sight Name: Porta Palatina (Palatine Gate)
Sight Location: Turin, Italy (See walking tours in Turin)
Sight Type: Attraction/Landmark
Guide(s) Containing This Sight:

Turin Introduction Walking Tour

Walking Tours in Turin, Italy

Create Your Own Walk in Turin

Creating your own self-guided walk in Turin is easy and fun. Choose the city attractions that you want to see and a walk route map will be created just for you. You can even set your hotel as the start point of the walk.

Turin Introduction Walking Tour

Mark Twain once wrote that Turin鈥檚 streets are 鈥渆xtravagantly wide鈥� and its houses stretch 鈥渁s straight as an arrow鈥�-and he was not exaggerating.

Turin's story begins with the Taurini, a Celtic tribe whose name is tied to the word for 鈥渕ountain.鈥� They lived at the foot of the Alps before the Romans arrived. In 28 BC, the Romans founded Taurinorum here, designing it in their... view more

Tour Duration: 2 Hour(s)
Travel Distance: 3.4 Km or 2.1 Miles

Coffee, Food and Chocolate Tour in Turin

Among other things, the capital of Italy's Piedmont region 鈥� Turin 鈥� is well known for its rich culinary tradition, which includes long-standing coffee and chocolate culture. There are several cafes and coffee houses in the city that have been in business for hundreds of years.

The most notable of them are found in the historic heart of the city, such as the Caff猫 al Bicerin.... view more

Tour Duration: 1 Hour(s)
Travel Distance: 2.2 Km or 1.4 Miles

911爆料网