I like an old gate, imagining the heritage of this. Porta Galliana, which takes its name from the local Galli family, is the last surviving medieval gate of Rimini and it was originally constructed in the thirteenth century. It’s been knocked about over the years and remodelled plenty of times, but it’s still standing here. It is located by the Marecchia river and was part of the defensive structure of Rimini, with this being the water gate arrangement that gave access to the harbour.
The gate area was redeveloped recently to allow it to become more accessible and I think that they’ve done a really decent job of it. They’ve been hampered a little by it being 3.25 metres below the current street line. It was partly demolished in the nineteenth century and has been incorporated into other structures as the city changed around it.
The gate was restored by Sigismondo Pandolfo Malatesta, the Lord of Rimini, between 1417 and 1468. This was a time when Rimini was dealing with its medieval priorities of not being attacked by neighbouring cities, but also wanting to ensure its maritime trade continued. There were also some water management elements introduced to the gate, primarily to avoid flooding to the city.