Roman arch · 33–32 BC · Trieste

Arch of Riccardo (Arco di Riccardo)

The Arch of Riccardo (Arco di Riccardo) is a Roman triumphal arch in the historic centre of Trieste, dating to 33–32 BC. Standing 7.2 metres tall, it is the only surviving element of the ancient city walls of Roman Tergeste and one of the oldest standing Roman monuments in the northeastern Adriatic. Despite its popular medieval name — which associates it with Richard I of England, who was briefly imprisoned in the region — the arch has no historical connection to Richard; the name derives from a folk etymology that arose in the Middle Ages.

Type: Roman arch; remnant of city wall
Period: 33–32 BC
Style: Roman military/civic architecture
Location: Via del Castello, Trieste, Friuli Venezia Giulia, Italy

Overview

The Arco di Riccardo stands in the old Roman quarter of Trieste at the foot of the hill on which the Cathedral of San Giusto is built. It is the last visible fragment of the walls that enclosed Roman Tergeste and was incorporated into later medieval structures before being freed and partially restored. The arch measures 7.2 metres in height and is constructed in the local limestone typical of Roman-period Trieste. An inscription once identified the structure’s function, though the current popular name is entirely apocryphal.

History

Roman Tergeste was established as a colony in the 1st century BC; the arch dates to 33–32 BC, coinciding with the period of Roman consolidation of this Adriatic coastal zone. The arch served as a gate in the city’s defensive perimeter. During the medieval period it was embedded in surrounding buildings and survived through its structural integration with later construction. The misleading name “Arco di Riccardo” became attached to the monument by at least the 13th century; legend claimed Richard I of England passed through or was imprisoned nearby during his return from the Third Crusade in 1192–1193, though this has never been documented. Archaeological and restoration work in the 19th and 20th centuries clarified the Roman date and revealed the arch’s original context.

What you see

The arch presents a single barrel-vaulted opening in dressed limestone ashlar, with minimal decorative elaboration typical of military rather than triumphal Roman architecture. The voussoirs of the arch are clearly articulated, and the surviving imposts show the quality of Roman stonecutting of the period. The monument stands at street level in a small square, accessible from all sides and visible in its immediate medieval urban context — narrow lanes lined with buildings whose foundations often incorporate Roman masonry. A 360-degree virtual tour is available online, giving visitors a detailed pre-visit view of the monument and its setting.

Cultural significance

The Arco di Riccardo is one of the most ancient surviving monuments in Trieste and one of the oldest Roman structures in the Friuli Venezia Giulia region. Its survival across more than two millennia — through Byzantine, Lombard, Frankish, Venetian, Habsburg, and Italian rule — makes it a remarkable witness to the deep time of urban continuity in the northeastern Adriatic. The monument anchors the Roman layer of Trieste’s multi-period historic centre alongside the nearby Theatre and the Forum.

Practical information

Address: Via del Castello / Piazza Barbacan, 34121 Trieste TS. Coordinates: 45.6477° N, 13.7680° E. The arch is accessible at all times as an open-air monument with no admission charge. The surrounding area includes the Roman Theatre and the Cathedral of San Giusto, forming a compact archaeological circuit walkable in under an hour.

Getting there

From Trieste Centrale station, walk northeast along Via Carducci and Via del Teatro Romano (approximately 15 minutes on foot), or take bus lines 24 or 30 to the city hill area. The arch is a 5-minute walk from the main Piazza Unità d’Italia along Via del Castello.

Sources & resources

In Trieste, starting from the old Roman Theater, crossing the alleys of the Old Trieste you can reach in a few minutes Piazza Barbacan: one of the few places in the city, where handicraft activities and the small antiques trade still persist.

In this square, one of the best preserved Roman remains in the city is still visible: the Arco di Riccardo. It is an imposing Roman gate dating back to the Augustan era (33 BC), which is seven meters high and five and a half meters wide that was built by the consul Octavian.



The name of the Arch probably came from the Latin word &quot;cardo&quot;. With this term, one of the two main streets of every Roman city was indicated in ancient terminology. And coincidentally, one of the crucial streets of the Roman Tergeste started from Piazza Barbacan.

The Arch does not have any precious ornaments or particular artistic sophistications. Indeed its aesthetic peculiarities are characterized by extreme simplicity and linearity. If on the pillars, the Arch is decorated with pilasters, in the under-arch the representation of a very particular plant motif stands out.



Furthermore, in the immediate vicinity of the Arco di Riccardo, there are also some excavations of undoubted archaeological significance. These are some remains of ancient late Republican walls, which were found, many years ago, following the works planned by the Municipality of Trieste, in this city district for the realization of the &quot;Urban Project&quot; (Project for the reconstruction of buildings, environmental revitalization, arts and crafts).

The great wall found was two meters wide and twice as high, and constituted only a fragment of the numerous archaeological remains found in other points of Cittavecchia.

The walls of Piazza Barbacan have been a further confirmation that the republican Tergeste (first century BC) was mostly perched on the Colle di San Giusto and surrounded by mighty walls, whose strategic role was lost only with the advent of the imperial period (1st century AD), in which the city expanded.



The puzzle of the &quot;Roman Trieste&quot;, despite these remains and some others found in other parts of the city, is, however, still very far from being completed. The archaeologists, responsible for the Urban Project, despite being aware that the soil could hold countless other Roman finds, were forced for years to live with the serious problem, that the city, for many years, was completely abandoned by archeology. In fact, with the exception of some episodic and emergency excavations, local archeology underestimated the importance and extent of Trieste for decades.

https://culturalheritageonline.com/places/arch-of-riccardo-virtual-tour-360-l4567/

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Arch of Riccardo – Virtual Tour 360°