Ancient legacies and urban design: restoration and arrangement of the Porta Maggiore in the age of
Gregory XVI
The double archway of the ancient front of Acqua Claudia, a magnificent monument derived by the
bifurcation of the Via Prenestina and Via Labicana, was cleared of the buildings overlapped in “the barbaric
era” by Pope Gregory XVI (1831-1846), a great lover of archaeology. The ancient monument became the
fulcrum of an urban area designed with neoclassical taste: this operation, merging functional aims to the
rediscovery of a precious classical heritage, established with modest means – and a weak impact of renovation
– a true primacy within the pontifical Rome.
This contribution deals with this well-known story occurred in 1837-41 focusing on the restoration approach
to the monument and on the reconfiguration of the urban role of the great ancient structure.
The decision-making process regarding design and intervention is reconstructed in greater detail and the
individual contribution and the role of Giuseppe Valadier, Clemente Folchi and Giuseppe De Fabris is also
better clarified.
