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Overview
Porta Borsari was the main entrance to the ancient city along the decumanus maximus and belonged to Verona’s defensive walls, which had already been built during the Republican era within the bend of the Adige River. In Roman times, the structure was called Porta Iovia because of its proximity to the now-vanished Temple of Jupiter Lustralis.
Its original structure was made of brick and, in both layout and design, was almost identical to Porta Leoni. It featured a central courtyard, galleries on the upper floors, double arched portals on the façades, and two sixteen-sided corner towers (diameter 7.40 m).
During the reign of Emperor Claudius, the gate was adorned with two new façades made of local white stone.
What can be seen today is the western façade, while the brick building and the inner front have been lost.
The two-arched façade reflects a taste for scenic display. Its articulation is based, in the upper section, on a series of elongated windows set between half-pillars, and in the lower section, on the interplay of openings framed by aediculae with pediments in a symmetrical arrangement that also includes the two passage arches.
The inscription on the architrave commemorates the restoration of Verona’s city walls by Emperor Gallienus in 265 AD, following the incursion of the Alamanni into the Po Valley.
The current medieval name refers to the bursari, the officials who collected customs duties here.
