The Vatican Walls, interspersed with 16th century towers and bastions, continue for about three kilometres around the hill of the same name.
They continue along the northern side with no significant alterations from Piazza Risorgimento, then skirt the so-called bastion of Michelangelo on Via Leone IV, climb the Viale Vaticano and then descend again, flanking the boundary of the XIII Municipio [Municipality 8] to Piazza di Porta Cavalleggeri. No longer preserved, however, is the section of fortification dating back to the reign of Pope Pius IV Medici (1559-1565) on the northern side from Piazza Risorgimento to Castel Sant’Angelo, demolished in the late 19th century.
Within the Borgo district, the section of the Leonine wall – also known as the Passetto di Borgo – is still preserved. With Pope Pius IV’s enlargement, it was incorporated into the new Vatican walls, losing its defensive role.
Starting from the Piazzale di Porta Angelica at the two archways on the Passetto delle mura di Leone IV, the route skirts the Vatican City wall and passes the entrance to Porta Sant’Anna where the 17th-century fresco of the Madonna with Child and St Anne is still visible.
Following the walls along the sidewalk, a little further on one can see the fragments of Porta Angelica, relocated here after the demolition of the northern section of the wall by Pope Pius IV.
On Via Leone IV, at Viale del Vaticano, stands the majestic bastion reinforced with travertine blocks, attributed to Michelangelo, and in the corner, the coat of arms of Pope Paul III Farnese, who was responsible for the works.
After the ancient entrance to the Vatican Museums with its wide gateway, the work of architect and engineer Giuseppe Momo (1875-1942), crowned by the coat of arms of Pope Pius XI (1932) and statues depicting Michelangelo and Raphael, the road continues to climb. The pavement narrows, making the route more difficult. On this ramparted section are plaques and inscriptions commemorating reconstructions and restorations of this portion of the wall.
At the highest point is the Porta Pertusa gate. From here on, the route begins to descend again, following Via Aurelia to the left.
Once past the railway tracks of San Pietro, whose entrance to Vatican City is surmounted by the coat of arms of Pope Pius XI, one can see Porta Fabbrica. The gate, opened near the sacristy of St. Peter’s, today walled up and partially buried, takes this name because it was used as the entrance to the building site of the Basilica, as also confirmed by the presence of the coat of arms of the powerful institution of the Reverenda Fabbrica.
The route ends with the fragments of the Porta Cavalleggeri gate incorporated into the surrounding wall, after its demolition in 1890. In this section, the tower of Niccolò V can be seen and, a little further on, the fortifications of the Mura gianicolensi [Janiculum Walls] can be glimpsed.
At Porta Cavalleggeri, the Vatican Walls climb up the hill bordering the Janiculum, now crossed by the Principe Amedeo di Savoia-Aosta tunnel. At this point, in 1527, the Landsknechts made their entrance during the Sacking of Rome.
The wall then descends towards Porta Santo Spirito, which can be more easily accessed by walking along the Colonnade of San Pietro [St Peter’s] and turning towards the Ospedale del Santo Spirito.
The ancient Leonine Walls, no longer functional after the extension ordered by Pope Pius IV, have survived, albeit with the alterations due to the creation of the archways in the Corridore, also known as the Passetto di Borgo, which can be walked in its entirety on the interior side from Via di Porta Angelica to Castel Sant’Angelo.