San Martino Gate, also known as Porta Nuova or Porta Romana due to the road leading to the capital, was one of the three gates to access the fortified Etruscan town of Proceno. Located at the beginning of the current Via della Pace, it connected the village to the Church of the Madonna della Pace, following the ancient route to Rome. The gate was demolished in 1876 to allow for the widening of the road leading to the main square. Nearby stood a defensive tower, built in 1525, the base of which is still visible at the foot of the rock. Historical documents indicate that from the time of Cardinal Guido Ascanio Sforza (around 1550), many maintenance works were carried out on both the walls and wooden structures. The area in front of the gate was brought to life by Piazza di San Martino, where the namesake church and adjacent convent once stood, an important point of reference for the local community.
Function and regulations
As with the other gates of the village, two doormen were elected for the gate of San Martino, who were responsible for opening and closing the access according to precise times. The gate was closed within the first hour of the night and reopened at dawn, unless specifically authorized by the Governor. The only exceptions were during the harvest period (July 1 - August 15) and the grape harvest (September 1 - October 15), when access was also permitted during the night hours.
Although the gate no longer exists today, its historical role is still very present in the collective memory of Proceno, and the visible remains testify to its strategic and social importance.
Where
Corso Regina Margherita, 2, 01020 Proceno VT, Italia
