Porta Pia stamp by Italian Post

The Italian Post has issued a stamp under the name "Porta Pia" dedicated to a picturesque place of the Italian capital.

Porta Pia is a gate in the Aurelian Walls of Rome. One of Pope Pius IV's civic improvements to the city, it is named after him. Situated at the end of a new street, the Via Pia, it was designed by Michelangelo. Construction began in 1561 and ended in 1565, after the artist's death. A 1561 bronze commemorative medal by Gianfederico Bonzagna shows an early plan by Michelangelo, very different from his final design. The facade on the outside of the city was completed in 1869 under the Neo-Classicist design by Virginio Vespignani.