Porta Borsari
Last updated on September 10, 2026Overview
Porta Borsari stands in the middle of a shopping street in Verona, and most people walk past it without stopping. It is a Roman city gate of the first century AD, and the best preserved in the city.
There is no ticket, no railing and no opening time. The street runs through where the carriageways were, and the shops on either side press right up against it.
The inscription across it records the rebuilding of Verona's walls in 265 AD under the emperor Gallienus -- and states, with some pride, that the work took 259 days.
Quick Facts
- Type: Monument
- Local name: Porta Borsari (vedi la pagina italiana)
- Built: 1st century AD; walls rebuilt 265 AD
- Architectural style: Roman
- 259 days, and they said so: The inscription records the rebuilding of Verona’s walls under Gallienus in 265 AD and specifies that the work took 259 days -- a construction boast cut in stone.
- Named after the toll collectors: Its Roman name was probably Porta Iovia, after a nearby temple of Jupiter. "Borsari" comes from the medieval bursarii who took duty from anyone bringing goods through.
- UNESCO World Heritage Site: Yes
Visit Responsibly
This is a busy pedestrian shopping street and the gate sits directly in it. Photographers stopping in the arches block the flow -- step to the side.
Do not touch or lean on the stonework. It is unprotected two-thousand-year-old limestone in daily contact with a city, which is remarkable and also precarious.
The shops either side are ordinary Verona businesses rather than tourist operations; the street works better when people move through it.
Plan Your Visit
Porta Borsari is free, open and unticketed -- it stands in a public street and there is nothing to enter or book.
It is at the western end of Corso Porta Borsari, a five-minute walk from Piazza delle Erbe, on the natural route between the centre and Castelvecchio.
This is a five to ten minute stop. Most visitors see it in passing; standing still and looking up is the whole difference.
The street is level and fully accessible.
It combines naturally with the Arco dei Gavi a few minutes west and Porta Leoni south of Piazza delle Erbe -- the three together make a short Roman walk.