Pagina 332 di 1118

He followed the path which had been pointed out to him, and

arrived at the eastern entrance, which consisted of two

pilasters, with a roofing above to secure the gates, and on one

side was a small house for the toll-gatherer. The openings of the

rampart descended irregularly, and their surface was filled with

rubbish. The street of the suburb which led from this gate was

not unlike the one which now opens from the Tosa gate. A small

ditch ran in the midst of it, until within a few steps of the

gate, and divided it into two small crooked streets, covered with

dust or mud, according to the season. At the place where was, and

is still, the collection of houses called the Borghetto, the

ditch empties itself into a common sewer, and thence into another

ditch which runs along the walls. At this point was a column with

a cross on it, dedicated to _San Dionigi_; to the right and left

were gardens enclosed by hedges, and at intervals, small houses

inhabited for the most part by washerwomen.