Porta Romana e le Mura Spagnole was planned by Ferrante Gonzaga on behalf of the Spanish crown for the second circuit of city walls begun in 1549 and completed in 1560. The new fortifications were designed to enclose the new districts that had grown up around the radial of streets. It is basically a military structure and said to be one of most powerful in Europe, made up of massive curtain walls and fortified towers with no importance placed on unnecessary decoration.
