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Mura Poligonali (Polygonal Walls) of Arpino: A Walk around the Acropolis of Civitavecchia
To discover the origins of Arpino, you need to go up to the Acropolis of Civitavecchia, also known as Civitavecchia di Arpino. It was the city's original settlement, protected by enormous polygonal walls built using a dry-stone technique, stone upon stone. Its symbol is the Pointed Arch, a gate that dates back to centuries before the age of the Romans.
A stone fortress
The term "polygonal" comes from the irregular shape of the large stones. They are blocks of local stone, called puddingstone, fitted together dry—without the use of mortar or other binders—with great precision. Originally, the walls stretched for three kilometers; today, about half remain intact, and are partly integrated into more recent buildings.
The arch that shouldn't exist
A unique symbol of these walls is the pointed arch, the only ogival arch in the archaeological landscape of the Mediterranean area. It is not actually a true arch, but a "false vault" (or corbel arch), created by progressively bringing two blocks closer together until they meet at the top. This is an ancient technique, used a full four centuries before the Romans spread the use of the round arch.
The area of the Acropolis and the walls is an open-air archaeological park, always accessible and with free admission. It can be easily reached by car from the center of Arpino by following the signs for "Civitavecchia di Arpino". Inside, you can also find the Chiesa della Santissima Trinità (Church of the Holy Trinity) and the Chiesa di San Vito (Church of Saint Vitus).
