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The Pointed Arch of Arpino: the Volscian gate that fooled invaders
The pointed arch of Arpino, in the province of Frosinone, is the only entrance to the acropolis of Civitavecchia, built by the Volsci around seven centuries before Christ. Just over 4 metres tall, it is made of stone blocks stacked without any binding material, narrowing towards the top to form an ogival shape. Nothing similar exists among the megalithic gates of other towns in Lazio.
A strategic entrance
The most interesting aspect is not the shape but the strategic position of the opening. The entrance is on the side — scaevus in Latin means "left" — forcing attackers to expose their right flank, that without a shield.
From the Middle Ages to the 1960s
In the Middle Ages a tower blocked the original passageway, and access to the acropolis shifted to a new round arch at the foot of the tower. The pointed arch remained walled up for hundreds of years. In the 1960s the tower was partially demolished, and the original entrance became passable once more.
