This pretty little gate is the only surviving one of the five that once circled the town of Rapallo. The gate was constructed in the early seventeenth century, although the rather decadent Baroque style is more recent. I imagine that the town authorities had a bit of money one year and fancied tarting it up, perhaps because they’d already knocked the other four down. The destruction of the gates started early, as one was taken down in 1702 to improve access to the town.
The name, Porta delle Saline, comes from the nearby salt pans where seawater was once evaporated to produce salt. Today the gate is now doorless and it marks the pedestrian area of the town from the more car heavy outskirts.