Porta Borsari is a majestic Roman gate which was the main city entrance. Via Postumia, a road that linked the Tyrrhenian Sea with the Adriatic Sea, entered into Verona through Porta Borsari.
The current name has medieval origin and is derived from Bursarii, customs officials that in this place collected the bishop's duties.
In Roman times it was called Porta Iovia, name due to the nearby presence of a temple dedicated to Jupiter Lustral (whose remains are visible today in the gardens beside the Monumental Cemetery) and was defended by two imposing watchtowers. It was built in the middle of the first century A.D. and it has the typical architectural characteristics of the first roman empire, with a structure on three levels. Of the original building remained only the external facade in local white limestone.
