With the exception of Porta Del Gattolo, inside Sismondo Castle, Galliana Gate (Porta Galliana), built in the 13th century, is the only medieval city gate that can still be recognised.
A link between the city and the port area, along the Marecchia River, it was included within the city walls, as shown in the bas-relief by Agostino di Duccio (1449-1455), preserved in the Chapel of the Zodiacal Signs in the Malatesta Temple and identified thanks to the findings of archaeological digs begun in 2017.
As a matter of fact, it was Sigismondo Malatesta who restored the gate in the 15th century. Evidence is a deposit of Malatesta medals found in the early 20th century, used by Sigismondo to indicate the structures he had built or renovated.
In the 16th century, the gate was closed and replaced by a tower called ‘Knights’ Tower’.
Over the course of time, the use of the site of Galliana Gate underwent various changes, which have left still perfectly visible signs: the traces of the portcullis and the hinges of the closing gates, parts of the pavement of the public wash-house of San Domenico from the early 1900s, and the two cannons used to defend the walls and the castle, positioned there at the request of Sigismondo.
Nowadays, Galliana Gate offers a pedestrian pathway, enriched by benches that make the site a resting and meeting area, a so-called new-ancient city landmark.
