Descending along Via di San Pancrazio, the beautiful structure of Villa Aurelia is clearly visible on the left. Built in the 17th century after the construction of the Urbanian Wall, it used the still partly visible Aurelian Wall structures as a base. The protruding quadrangular body at the eastern end of the building incorporates a tower of the Aurelian Wall with extensive renovations; in addition, a section of masonry is still clearly recognisable with a protruding balcony supported by brick arches, built for defensive reasons. This balcony, which widened the narrow space of the patrol walkway, must have housed artillery that needed ample room to manoeuvre, such as the onagers mentioned by Procopius, a type of catapult for launching stones.
