Porta Marzia

Porta Marzia is a third-century BC Etruscan gateway incorporated into the Renaissance walls of Perugia's Rocca Paolina. Its carved travertine façade preserves a striking encounter between Etruscan sculpture and sixteenth-century military architecture.

Why it matters

The gate was the monumental southern entrance to the Etruscan city. When Pope Paul III commissioned the Rocca Paolina after Perugia's defeat in the Salt War, Antonio da Sangallo the Younger incorporated the upper part of the gate into the fortress wall rather than demolishing it.

What to notice

The travertine arch is framed by pilasters and an inscribed cornice. Above it, a frieze contains five figures and two horse protomes. The central male figure is identified as Tinia; the flanking figures have been interpreted as the Dioscuri, although another proposal identifies them as Lares Praestites. The recomposed façade now stands several metres from the gate's original line.

Context and history

Porta Marzia dates to the mid-third century BC. Later inscriptions record the city's Roman status, including the name Augusta Perusia. Sangallo incorporated the sculpted façade into the Rocca Paolina, built from 1540 to 1543. Parts of the fortress were demolished in the nineteenth century, while the gate's façade remained in place.