The painting represents one of the access gates to the city called Porta Nuova with the silhouette of the Norman palace on one side partly hidden by tall plane trees and enveloped in the winter fog of the gardens opposite the Villa Bonanno. The grey autumn light recalling northern European cities, the heavy clouds gathering overhead, the crowds walking along the Corso Vittorio Emanuele the dim and obscure lighting, make it one of Catti’s most striking figurative works.