Porta Romana

Anciently called Porta San Michele or Cortonese, Porta Romana represents the southern entrance to the city. The original structure dates back to the 14th century but the gate was almost completely destroyed by the bombings of 1944 and rebuilt after the war, trying to respect its original forms.

Above the pointed arch, a niche houses the terracotta statue depicting Saint Michael the Archangel, patron saint of the city, a copy of the original polychrome wooden sculpture, made in the first decades of the 14th century and now preserved in the Pinacoteca Comunale.

The original statue, also hit by the bombing, was found miraculously intact among the rubble, a sign long interpreted as a miracle by the citizens of Castiglione.

In ancient times, four coats of arms were placed above the gate, depicted in a manuscript by the local historian Giuseppe Ghizzi: one recalled the papal domination, another that of Perugia, while the other two are difficult to read.