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Ninfina Gate and the Sippòrtica in Cori: Polygonal Walls and Covered Alleyways in the Lepini Mountains
Porta Ninfina (Ninfina Gate) is the only one of the three historic gates of Cori that preserves traces of its original structure. The foundations on which it rests are part of the polygonal-masonry walls of the 6th–5th century BC. The gate itself was destroyed during the Second World War: what is visible today is a reconstruction undertaken in 1984, built for the Carosello storico dei Rioni (Historical Pageant of the Districts).
A gate designed for defence
The orientation is no accident: the walls stand to the left of anyone entering. It is a Scaean gate (porta scea), a defensive system forcing attackers to expose their right flank—the unshielded side. A solution already adopted in Mycenaean fortifications and in Cori as early as 2,500 years ago.
The Sippòrtica
Next to the gate, the Via del Porticato —in Cori everyone calls it “the Sippòrtica” - is a street entailing an uphill climb. It is a covered street running along a section of the old walls. Until the 12th century it was an open walkway, then came towers, tufa dwellings and, in the 17th century, Palazzo Chiari, which completed the covering above the street. Through the large windows anyone approaching the gate could be seen. Along the portico there were shops, taverns and inns for those entering the city.
Lo Scoglio
At the top of the street, on the left, a near-vertical alleyway opens up. The locals call it “Lo scoglio” (the Cliff): the climb is so steep it puts even the fittest visitors to the test.
