Porte d'Italie

The Porte d'Italie is marked by two massive, blocky limestone pylons that stand as silent sentinels over the southern edge of Paris. These structures are the last remnants of the Thiers Wall, a fortification line built in the eighteen forties to enclose the city. While the rest of the wall was demolished to make room for the Boulevard Périphérique, these pylons survived the wrecking balls. They once held a heavy gate that soldiers locked every night to control who entered the capital.