Arco di Traiano

In Ancona’s historic harbour stands the Arch of Trajan, a Roman monument built to honour the emperor for enlarging the harbour. It was a commemorative arch rather than a city gate, and its original setting by the port remains part of its meaning.

Why it matters

The Senate and Roman people erected the arch in the early second century CE in honour of Marcus Ulpius Traianus and his expansion of Ancona's harbour. The monument is attributed to Apollodorus of Damascus, the architect associated with Trajan's Forum in Rome. Its connection with the emperor's Adriatic works gives the arch a prominent place in the city's Roman history.

What to notice

The arch stands on a broad podium of Conero limestone and is built from imported marble blocks. Its single opening is framed by two piers, each face decorated with pairs of fluted columns and Corinthian capitals supporting an attic. The landward inscription honours Trajan, his wife Plotina and his sister Marciana. Bronze letters, friezes and statues once completed the monument; municipal accounts say Saracen raiders removed the bronze elements in 848. The arch's elongated proportions distinguish it from heavier Roman triumphal arches.

Context and history

The arch formed part of Trajan's works on the Adriatic. Ancona's natural harbour, sheltered by its elbow-shaped promontory, was enlarged in the imperial period, and the arch commemorated that project rather than serving as a gateway. Local historical accounts also associate the site with Trajan's departure for the Dacian wars. A restoration in 2000 removed a nineteenth-century railing around the podium and added lighting to the monument.