Porta Aldrovandi

Porta Aldrovandi is Montefiascone's monumental eighteenth-century town gate. Its arch and heraldic decoration give an architectural emphasis to the threshold of the historic centre.

Why it matters

Commissioned by Cardinal Pompeo Aldrovandi and built in 1744 to a design by Domenico Gregorini, the gate reflects the bishop's role in reshaping the town's approaches during the Papal State period.

What to notice

The arms of Aldrovandi and Pope Benedict XIV frame an inscription commemorating the new gate and its adjoining bridge. The composition is ceremonial as well as functional: its restrained eighteenth-century forms transform an entrance in the town's boundaries into a statement of patronage.

Context and history

The project belonged to a wider adjustment of Montefiascone's road connections. The approach formerly associated with San Flaviano was redirected towards the new entrance to the borgo maggiore. Also known as Porta della Città, the gate preserves this later chapter in a town whose more conspicuous monuments have medieval and Renaissance origins.