Porta Cavalleggeri, City gate near Vatican City, Rome, Italy

Porta Cavalleggeri is a city gate near St. Peter's Basilica featuring two coats of arms from the House of Borgia that were placed during restoration work in the 16th century. The gate connects the Gianicolo hill to a large bus terminal through an underground passage constructed for the 2000 Jubilee.

The gate was originally called Porta ad Scholam Longobardorum after Lombard settlers nearby but was renamed when Pope Pius IV established cavalry barracks in the area during the 16th century. This change reflected the location's growing importance as a defensive point for Vatican territory.

The gate's names record the people who lived and worked around it: Porta ad Scholam Longobardorum from a Lombard community settled nearby, then Porta Turrionis from the tower beside it, and finally Porta Cavalleggeri after Pius IV built the cavalry guard barracks close by. The church of Santa Maria delle Grazie alle Fornaci fuori Porta Cavalleggeri still carries the gate's name.

The gate is best reached on foot from Gianicolo hill or from near St. Peter's Basilica, with several walking routes clearly marked. The underground passage to the bus terminal is helpful during bad weather, but walking access is more practical for most visitors.

On 30 April 1849, General Pierre Alexandre Jean Mollière's French brigade attacked the Roman Republic here and was repelled. The gate was held by General Luigi Masi's 2nd Brigade of the 8th Battalion: 1,000 National Guard men and 1,700 papal troops, among them the actor Tommaso Salvini.