This content was automatically translated. View the original text.
The Porta Urbica: The Medieval Gateway to the Heart of Roman Sabinum
The Porta Urbica of Montelibretti is the main entrance to the centre of this Sabine village, which is approximately 35 kilometres from Rome. Surmounted by a clock, the gate marks the boundary between the modern town and the medieval nucleus perched on the hill. Beneath the arch, a centuries-old public washhouse lies concealed — testament to everyday life across the centuries.
The Orsini Defensive System
The gate was built when the walls were extended to protect the settlement that had grown up around Palazzo Barberini, which at the time served as the castle of the Orsini family. The heart of the defensive system was the old tower of the medieval castrum and a square tower erected in the 17th century. Together they formed a compact surveillance apparatus, typical of the fortified hill villages of the Sabine territory.
What Lies Beyond the Arch
Once through the gate, one enters a labyrinth of alleyways, arches, and stone stairways, where the houses appear to climb one upon another. After a few steps we reach the Church of San Nicola di Bari, with its 17th-century paintings, and Palazzo Barberini, with its cylindrical towers. The view over the Tiber valley from here is well worth a detour from the Via Salaria.
