Aurelian Walls

The Aurelian Walls are Rome's most overlooked monumental complex — an original circuit of about 19 km, built with 3rd-century brick-faced concrete walls, 381 towers and 18 gates. Built by Emperor Aurelian in just five years (271–275 AD, completion date approximate) and doubled in height by Honorius around 401 AD, they defended Rome for centuries. Long stretches survive today, but the circuit is broken in several places and only a limited section is publicly walkable. The exterior can be seen throughout the city, while a limited rampart section is accessible through the free Museo delle Mura. Please note that substantial stretches of the walls remain inaccessible and the ramparts are not wheelchair accessible.

Why visit the Aurelian Walls?

While millions queue at the Colosseum, the Aurelian Walls — the largest single monument in Rome — stand in near-solitude. They are everywhere, free, and tell a continuous story from late antiquity to the founding of modern Italy.

• Largest ancient monument in Rome: 19 km of walls, 381 towers, 18 gates — a single integrated structure dwarfing the Colosseum and Forum combined.
• Walk on top of them: a section of original 5th-century rampart open to the public at the Museo delle Mura — Free, panoramic views (not wheelchair accessible) over the Appian Way.
• 1,500 years of history in one structure: from Aurelian's barbarian-era construction to the 1870 breach that founded modern Italy.
• Embedded monuments: the Pyramid of Cestius, Claudius's aqueduct arch and the Castrense Amphitheatre were absorbed wholesale into the circuit.
• Free, almost empty: the south-east stretch (Porta San Sebastiano → Porta Latina) is one of the most peaceful walks in central Rome.

Quick facts

A brief history

For 600 years Rome had no real walls. The 4th-century BC Servian Walls enclosed only the original seven hills — by the 3rd century AD vast populated districts lay outside, defenceless. Rome's invincibility was its army, not its masonry. That assumption shattered in 270 AD, when the Alamanni and Juthungi crossed the Alps and reached Plombino, just 80 km north of the city.

Emperor Aurelian reacted with extraordinary speed. In 271 AD he ordered a new 19 km defensive circuit and mobilised tens of thousands of workers across multiple stretches simultaneously. To save time, engineers absorbed every existing structure into the line: the Pyramid of Cestius, the Castrense Amphitheatre, the Castra Praetoria and Claudius's Aqua Claudia aqueduct arch. The walls were completed by Aurelian's successor Probus in 275 AD — 381 semi-circular towers, 18 monumental gates, 8 metres tall, all in just 5 years.

The Aurelian original was already impressive, but a generation later Rome faced an even greater threat: Alaric's Visigoths. Around 401–403 AD Emperor Honorius nearly doubled the walls to 16 metres, added a roofed sentry walk and arrow-slit galleries, walled up the minor gates and reinforced every tower. The Honorian heightening is what most visitors see today; it is the layer that defended Rome against the Goths in 537–538 AD (the famous defence by Belisarius), against the Lombards in 593, and against the Saracens in 846.

Through the medieval centuries the Popes maintained and modified the walls. Leo IV built the parallel Leonine Wall around the Vatican after the Saracen sack of 846; Urban VIII reinforced the Janiculum stretch in the 17th century; Pius IV commissioned Michelangelo in 1561 to redesign the northern gate — now Porta Pia, one of Michelangelo's last architectural works.

The walls' final military moment came on 20 September 1870. Italian troops under General Cadorna blew a 30-metre breach 50 metres west of Porta Pia; the Bersaglieri stormed through; the Pope withdrew to the Vatican; and Rome became the capital of unified Italy. The street name Via XX Settembre, the column at the breach site and the date itself are still woven into modern Rome's civic identity.

The walls were completed roughly 1,750 years ago (c. 275 AD, an approximate date), and various stretches continue to undergo periodic restoration. Check the Museo delle Mura's official listing for current opening hours.

Construction & engineering

Opus latericium

Brick-faced concrete: an inner core of mortar + rubble (caementicium) faced with thin red bricks (lateres). Cheap, fast, immensely strong. The Aurelian Walls are the largest ancient structure ever built in this technique.

381 semi-circular towers

Spaced every ~30 m to allow overlapping crossfire from ballistae, slings and bows. Originally 4 m higher than the wall walk, with platforms for artillery. Honorius added a second floor to most towers in 401 AD.

Absorbed monuments

To save time the engineers incorporated existing structures into the line: the Pyramid of Cestius, Claudius's aqueduct (Porta Maggiore), the Castrense Amphitheatre, the Castra Praetoria and dozens of private mausolea. About 1.5 km of the circuit are pre-existing walls.

Museo delle Mura — walking on the ramparts

The Museo delle Mura is a small but exceptional civic museum housed inside the twin-towered Porta San Sebastiano — the largest and best-preserved gate of the entire Aurelian circuit. The ground-floor museum explains the construction techniques, military equipment, the great sieges (Alaric, Belisarius, the Saracens, Porta Pia 1870) and displays scale models of every gate.

The reason most visitors come, however, is the walkable rampart: a steep 19th-century spiral staircase climbs into the original Honorian arrow-slit gallery, where you walk on top of the walls with views down on the first kilometre of the Appian Way and across the green Caffarella valley. It is the only stretch of Aurelian Wall in Rome where you can walk on top.

2026 visiting essentials

• • Address: Via di Porta San Sebastiano, 18, 00179 Roma
• • Hours: Tuesday–Sunday 10:00–16:00; last admission 15:00. Closed Monday, 1 May and 25 December.
• • Cost (2026): admission is free. Capacity is limited, so immediate entry is not guaranteed.
• • Wall passage: can be visited during museum opening hours; the tower terrace is currently unavailable.
• • Booking: no ticket required, but capacity is limited (about 20 visitors at a time), so immediate entry is not guaranteed.
• • Duration: 45–60 minutes including the wall walk.
• • Accessibility: ground-floor museum yes; rampart no (steep spiral staircase).
• • Getting there: Metro B Circo Massimo + 15-min walk, or bus 118/218 from Piramide.

Gate-by-gate guide — the main surviving gates

Porta San Sebastiano

South — Appian Way

Largest gate, Museo delle Mura, walkable ramparts

Porta Latina

South-east

Original Aurelian gate, San Giovanni in Oleo church

Porta Metronia

South — Caelian

Walled up since 12th century, original arch visible

Porta Asinaria

South — Lateran

Where Belisarius entered Rome in 536 AD

Porta San Giovanni

East — Lateran

16th-century rebuild beside the Aurelian original

Porta Maggiore

East — Esquilino

Claudius's 52 AD aqueduct arch absorbed in walls

Porta Tiburtina

East — Tiburtino

3rd-century with intact aqueduct channels above

Porta Pia

North-east

Michelangelo 1561, breached 20 Sept 1870

Porta Pinciana

North — Villa Borghese

Elegant marble revetment, Renaissance modifications

Porta del Popolo

North — Piazza del Popolo

Bernini 1655 inner façade for Queen Christina

Porta San Paolo

South — Testaccio

Twin towers beside the Pyramid of Cestius

Aurelian Walls walking itinerary

A 3-hour, 7-stop walk covering the south-east stretch from Porta San Sebastiano through Porta Latina and Porta Metronia to the Caelian Hill basilicas — the most continuous and atmospheric section of the entire circuit. Total distance ~3 km, mostly flat, with one small uphill at the end.

Walking route map

Click on markers for stop details. Numbers indicate the walking order.

Circo Massimo metro (Line B)

Exit the metro and walk 15 minutes south-east along Via di Porta San Sebastiano. The flat tree-lined road is quiet, with archaeological sites on both sides.

Porta San Sebastiano & Museo delle Mura

The largest and best-preserved gate. Visit the free ground-floor museum, then climb to the walkable rampart (Free). Note: not wheelchair accessible. The view back over the Appian Way is unforgettable.

Viale di Porta Ardeatina — south-east stretch

Walk 1.2 km north-east along the wall on Viale di Porta Ardeatina. Towers every 30 m, full Honorian height, umbrella pines and Roman cats — Rome's most continuous intact stretch.

Porta Latina

A modest single-arched gate from the 271 AD original build, framed by a 1,000-year-old umbrella pine. Don't miss the tiny octagonal church of San Giovanni in Oleo (1509) just inside the gate.

Porta Metronia

Walled up since the 12th century but with the original travertine arch still visible. Cross through the modern gap in the wall to enter the Caelian neighbourhood.

Caelian Hill basilicas (San Clemente)

Walk 10 minutes north to the 12th-century Basilica of San Clemente — three churches stacked on a Mithraic temple. Or stop at Santi Quattro Coronati for medieval frescoes.

Porta San Giovanni — return

End at Porta San Giovanni (Lateran area) for Bus 218 or Metro Line A back to the centre, or combine with the Basilica di San Giovanni in Laterano.

Aurelian Walls vs Servian Walls — Rome's two great circuits

Verdict: the Aurelian Walls are unmissable; the Servian Walls are a brief curiosity. Most visitors should focus on Aurelian and pause briefly at the Servian fragment outside Termini Station.

Best time to visit

Time of day

Late afternoon (16:00–18:00 winter / 18:00–20:00 summer)

Best — warm side-light makes the brick glow orange-red and brings out the relief on every tower.

Early morning (07:30–09:00)

Good for Porta Pia (north-east-facing) and for empty wall photos before traffic intensifies.

Avoid noon

Harsh top-light flattens the brick texture. The south-east stretch on Viale di Porta Ardeatina exceeds 38°C in July afternoons.

Best days & seasons

Free every operating day

The Museo delle Mura and its wall-walk are free whenever the museum is open (Tuesday–Sunday). Capacity is limited, so arrive early.

March–May & October–November 2026

Ideal weather, soft light, full opening hours, very few crowds.

20 September

Anniversary of the 1870 breach: free Bersaglieri parades at Porta Pia, special openings of the Bersaglieri museum, civic celebrations.

Avoid Mondays

Museo delle Mura closed — no rampart access. Walking outside is fine but you miss the highlight.

Getting there

Metro (best)

For Porta San Sebastiano: Metro Line B to Circo Massimo, then 15-min flat walk south on Via di Porta San Sebastiano. For Porta Pia: Metro Line B to Castro Pretorio, 10-min walk. For Porta del Popolo: Metro Line A to Flaminio, 2-min walk.

Bus

Lines 118 and 218 stop at the Museo delle Mura — the most direct option from Piramide and the Lateran. Line 360 follows much of the eastern stretch.

Tram

For Porta Maggiore (incorporated in walls): trams 5, 14 and 19 from Termini. For Porta San Paolo: tram 3 from Trastevere.

On foot

20 minutes flat walk from the Colosseum to Porta San Sebastiano via Via di San Gregorio and the Baths of Caracalla — historic and easy.

Common mistakes to avoid

Going on Monday

The Museo delle Mura is closed Monday (and on 1 May and 25 December). Admission is free, but capacity is limited. Visit Tuesday–Sunday 10:00–16:00, last admission 15:00.

Visiting at noon in summer

The walls run east-west on the southern stretch — at noon there is no shadow on the brick and the temperature on Viale di Porta Ardeatina exceeds 38°C. Come at 16:00–19:00.

Trying to walk the entire 19 km

Stretches between gates are sometimes interrupted by busy junctions, modern buildings or active restoration. Plan three discrete loops (south-east, north, Vatican-area) on different days.

Missing the 1870 breach column

Most visitors photograph Porta Pia and miss the small column 50 m west marking the actual Bersaglieri breach. Walk west along Corso d'Italia until you see the inscribed Latin column.

Forgetting the embedded monuments

The Pyramid of Cestius, the Aqua Claudia at Porta Maggiore and the Castrense Amphitheatre near Santa Croce are all part of the wall circuit. Treat them as gates, not separate attractions.

Taking the wrong staircase at Porta San Sebastiano

Two staircases inside the gatehouse look identical — only one leads to the wall-walk. Ask the museum attendant or follow the 'Camminamento' signs.

Insider tips from locals

Museo delle Mura: free admission during regular opening hours

The Museo delle Mura and its wall-walk are free every operating day (Tuesday–Sunday). Capacity is limited (about 20 visitors at a time), so immediate entry is not guaranteed.

Best photo: Porta San Sebastiano from inside the city

Most tourists shoot the gate from outside (Appian Way side). The dramatic shot is from inside the city, on Via di Porta San Sebastiano, with the twin Maxentian towers framed by umbrella pines at sunset.

Combine with the first kilometre of the Appian Way

Exit the wall-walk through Porta San Sebastiano and you are immediately on the original 312 BC basalt paving of the Appian Way. Walk 1 km south to the church of Domine Quo Vadis — perfectly free.

Explore surviving stretches by bike

Rent a bike at Termini and follow cycle paths along stretches of the wall on Viale di Porta Ardeatina, Viale Manlio Gelsomini and Mura Latine. The surviving sections are interrupted by junctions, inaccessible areas and modern development, so plan a route between individual stretches rather than a continuous circuit.

Visit Porta Pia at sunrise

Michelangelo's gate faces north-east — at sunrise the travertine glows pink and the modern Bersaglieri statue casts a dramatic shadow across the Risorgimento breach. Almost zero traffic before 07:30.

Don't pay for a guided 'wall tour'

All informational panels at the Museo delle Mura are bilingual Italian/English, and free PDF guides exist on the Sovrintendenza Capitolina website. Save €30–€50 per person and self-guide.

Frequently Asked Questions

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