The Rocca Paolina today constitutes a veritable "city within a city" within Perugia. It was built at the behest of Pope Paul III Farnese with the intention of transforming Perugia into a fortified citadel after conquering the city to annex it to the Church State against the wishes of its inhabitants. To build his stronghold Pope Paul III had hundreds of dwellings, churches and monasteries torn down, earning him the undying hatred of the Perugini, who attacked and damaged the Rocca more than once over the centuries. Eventually the fortification was destroyed in 1860, after more than 300 years of (not too) honored service.All that survives of the entire fortress today are small fragments that are often used to host cultural events and markets and still encompass the old houses of the Baglioni family. The latter were bitter enemies of Pope Paul III and many of the neighborhoods and buildings destroyed by the Pontiff belonged to this very family. A curiosity: the Porta Marzia, one of the city's oldest gates, dates back to Etruscan times but was not originally located where it is today. When he was ordered to incorporate it within the walls of the Rocca Paolina, the architect Antonio da Sangallo the Younger literally had it disassembled and reassembled four meters ahead so that it could fit perfectly into the layout of the new walls.
