Monument, Ferrara
Ferrara's Porta Paola was built in 1612 on the site of an earlier gate of the same name that had been demolished a few years earlier. It was architect Giovanni Battista Aleotti who directed the work of its reconstruction, so as to once again guarantee access to the city.
Made of ashlar-worked white marble and richly decorated, the façade of Porta Paola features a curvilinear tympanum resting on some side pilasters. Its style bears witness to the transition from the Mannerist to the Baroque age.
Unlike Porta degli Angeli, Porta Paola is not part of the ancient circle of walls of Ferrara, but stands as a separate structure with its façade facing Bologna. It was in fact separated from the walls in 1901 to allow easier access to its premises, at that time used as offices. The traffic of people and vehicles was, however, regulated by two side gates that remained open only during the day.
Its name is linked to Pope Paul V, who sat on the papal throne between 1605 and 1621, known for having participated in the persecution of Galileo Galilei and financed the last works of the St. Peter's factory in Rome, whose name the church still bears on its façade.