Porta San Sebastiano & Museo delle Mura

Southern Rome

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Marking the start of Via Appia Antica, the 5th-century Porta San Sebastiano is the largest of the gates in the Aurelian Wall. During WWII the Fascist Party secretary Ettore Muti lived here; today it houses the modest Museo delle Mure, which offers the chance to walk along the top of the walls for around 50m as well as displaying the history of the city's fortifications. The gate was originally known as Porta Appia but took on its current name in honour of the thousands of pilgrims who passed under it on their way to the Catacombe di San Sebastiano.

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