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The Polygonal Walls of Cori: 2 Kilometres of Stones that Defy the Millennia
Mortar-free limestone blocks fitted together dry, so massive that in the Middle Ages people believed the Cyclopes had laid them. The polygonal walls of Cori run for about 2 kilometres around the hilltop town in the Lepini Mountains, enclosing an area of almost 22 hectares. Among the best-preserved in Lazio, they still define the shape of the city today.
Three Periods, Three Techniques
The oldest sections date back to the 6th and 5th centuries BC, when the Volsci occupied the ancient city of Cora. They were restored in the mid-Republican period, between the 4th and 3rd centuries BC, using more carefully worked blocks, and again at the end of the 2nd century BC with the addition of semicircular towers. Archaeologists can make out the three phases by the finish of the stonework: the first is rough, the third almost perfect. Walking along the walls, all three phases can be seen, layered one upon another like the strata of a history two thousand years deep.
Gates, Towers, and Terracing
Three gates split up the walls: Porta Romana, Porta Signina, and Porta Ninfina — the latter was destroyed by bombing in 1944, and rebuilt in 1984. But the walls were not just for defensive purposes: on so steep a slope, the polygonal masonry terracing made it possible to build the forum, the temples, and the houses. Without them, Cori would not exist.
A dedicated tourist trail today allows visitors to explore the walls. The most spectacular sections are to be found near Sant'Oliva and along Via delle Colonne.
