After the destructions brought to Padova by the barbarian invasions, the first walls built during the era of the medieval free Commune ran along the Bacchiglione river and the navigable canals, delimiting the ancient Roman town. There are only few remnants the 19 gates: Altinate Gate and Molino Gate. During the Middle Ages the Altinate Gate was of special importance as it linked Padova to the Venetian Lagoon and to Altino; today it's hemmed in by modern buildings, while the three-arched Roman bridge which once spanned the canalized navigable river was interred together with most canals in the 1950s. A marble signs tells that it was through the Altinate Gate that the Crusaders supporting the Pope's party (during the so-called Investiture Controversy or Investiture Contest, the most significant conflict between Church and state in medieval Europe)entered in 1256. They chased Ezzelino da Romano, the Emperor's Lord of the Marque from the city. The gate was rebuilt in 1286. Since Padova has been governed by a strong Catholic party after WW2, they have supported a modern version of the Black Legend against Ezzelino and his rule, to discourage secular thought (to no avail)since 1948. Here you can see the gate from the 'inside', where the downtown core is, while Altinate Street begins on the other side. The Africans in the shot are illegal aliens selling fake brands produced by illegal laboratories mostly controlled by the Neapolitan and the Chinese mafias.The middlemen who control these sellers, mostly but not all Senegalese, are Nigerian middlemen. They sell an enormous quantity of fake fashion goods and CDs with no taxes paid. While this is illegal, they are disturbed by the police only rarely, also because most citizens, ready to wail on the safety of the streets issue, are more than happy of buying a fake Prada, identical to the real one, for few euros, instead of thousands. Thank you for your kind comments.