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The Acropolis of Civitavecchia in Arpino: megalithic architecture in southern Lazio
Situated above Arpino, in the province of Frosinone, Civitavecchia (not to be confused with the port in northern Lazio) is the Volscian acropolis of the city, featuring one of the best-preserved polygonal masonry defensive walls in pre-Roman Italy. The walls date back to the pre-Roman era, between the 8th and 7th centuries BC, making them among the oldest in southern Lazio. Among the most renowned architectural features is a rare pointed (or ogival) arch, the only surviving example of its kind in the entire Mediterranean basin.
The Angevin tower and the educational section
The complex includes a quadrangular tower measuring 16 metres on each side, protected by a talus (or battered) wall on its south-eastern flank. The façade features loopholes (arrow slits) and larger openings leading to the middle floor and the upper floor, which features a vaulted corner joint. The tower dates back to the Angevin period, between the 13th and 14th centuries, after the site was rearranged following the destruction of the settlement on the lower hill of the Falconara district. The piano nobile (main floor) houses an educational section dedicated to the history of the site and its megalithic walls, with references to Arpino's most illustrious historical figures, including Marcus Tullius Cicero and Gaius Marius.
