Aurelian Walls
Rome walled itself in behind 19 kilometers of brick — and most of it still stands.
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Aurelian began the full 19 km circuit around 271 AD as pressure mounted on the frontier; it went up in about five years — though he died before it was finished. A 4th-century remodel doubled the height to 16 m. The walls survive so well because Rome kept using them as its primary fortification until the 19th century.
What to look for
- Square towers spaced every 100 Roman feet (about 30 m), marching off along the line.
- Two build phases in one face: the original ~8 m of brick-faced concrete, then the upper courses that raised it to 16 m.
- Rows of large external windows (there were 2,066) and the crenellated parapet along the top.
The Museo delle Mura at Porta San Sebastiano explains how the defenses worked; the best-preserved stretches run near Villa Borghese, Porta San Giovanni, and along the Tiber.
Aurelian Walls is one of 40 sights worth the detour in Rome, all bundled offline in Voyage GO — download the Rome pack and it sits on your map with no signal, filling your travel passport the moment you walk past.
More to see in Rome
- Vatican CityThe world's smallest sovereign state fits in 44 hectares — you cross its border by stepping over a white line.
- ColosseumAround 50,000 Romans packed this stone oval to watch spectacles staged over a two-level warren of cages beneath the arena floor.
- St. Peter's BasilicaThe world's largest church, built directly over the grave believed to hold St. Peter's bones.
- Sistine ChapelMichelangelo painted the ceiling standing up, not on his back — and cardinals still elect the pope in this room.
- PantheonA 1,900-year-old concrete dome with a hole punched in the top — when it rains in Rome, it rains inside too.
- Stadio OlimpicoOne 70,634-seat bowl, two cross-town tenants: AS Roma and SS Lazio both play here.