The Porte des Gaules, today invaded by wild caper bushes, reveals itself as a poetic vestige, where stone and vegetation meet in a living tableau. Imposing and yet discreet, this gate — once one of the four monumental entrances to the Roman city — seems to play hide-and-seek, fading away or revealing itself depending on whether one contemplates it or forgets it.
It once proudly played its role as a passage to Gaul, imposing and protective.
The gate of the Via Aurelia:
testimony of Roman ambitions
Built in sandstone from the Esterel Massif, this now walled-up gate still gives an idea of the scale of Roman ambitions.
In ancient times, it opened onto the Via Aurelia, the legendary road linking Rome to the Gallic provinces.
In 1919, a fascinating discovery revealed a paving under the door worn by the passage of Roman carts: the imprint of the Via Aurelia, still visible today, silently recounts the journeys of a distant era.




The Porte des Gaules: symbol of Roman majesty and power
With its 50-metre diameter hemicycle, flanked by round towers, the Porte des Gaules once imposed its authority.
There was a large carriage gate, guarded by two posterns and two additional towers like the Porte d'Auguste in Arles, a prestigious architectural example.
Well protected by parapets and a rampart which preserved it for centuries, the Porte des Gaules briefly regained its function as a passage after the Revolution, before finally being sealed.
Today, motionless and timeless, it watches over its secrets, like a sentinel of the past, where each stone still whispers tales of conquests and adventures.
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