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The Chain Bridge in Cori: a Roman tufa arch in the Lepini Mountains
The Ponte della Catena (Chain Bridge) is the only Roman bridge still visible in Cori, a hilltop town in the Lepini Mountains, in the province of Latina. With its tufa arch resting on bare rock, it spans the ditch that once protected the flank of the ancient town, and you can still walk across it today. Once you've crossed it, you'll find one of the most beautiful views of the town.
An arch that has stood for over 2,000 years
The foundations are made of limestone blocks laid directly on the hewn rock. The round arch is built in tufa, with three rows of radial voussoirs. Dating places the structure between the 4th and 1st century BC. The moat was once much deeper — consolidation work has reduced the distance between the bridge and the streambed. There was also a second bridge, outside Porta Romana, now buried to make way for a car park.
Saròcco: the quarter of non-Cori merchants
Beyond the bridge, it's worth walking a few hundred yards to reach Saròcco — from "San Rocco" — a cluster of houses and storerooms from the 16th–17th century, the only settlement outside the walls of Cori before the modern era. The hypothesis is that it housed merchants who did not have Cori citizenship. Along Via Madonna delle Grazie stand the ruins of the church of Santa Maria della Pace (St Mary of Peace), one of at least five churches that were built there. According to the old statutes, it was in this area that horse races were held in honour of the patron saint, St Olivia.
