Built to a design by G.B. Aleotti in 1612 as a new gateway in the South Walls, Porta Paola is one of the highest expressions of early Ferrara Baroque, with its main facade in white marble with giant order.
In the 1800s, having exhausted its military functions, it became a tollhouse then, in the early 1900s, major urban works were carried out to open two roads on the sides of the Porta, which thus remained isolated. It remains open with various functions until the 1980s.
In 2000, Porta Paola underwent a philological and archaeological restoration project as part of the overall plan to restore the Walls that began in 1978.
During the 2012 earthquake, already suffering in its structures, it suffered severe damage and thus underwent consolidation, restoration and reuse work to allocate the interior rooms for the new Documentation Center of the Walls.
