ARCH OF RICHARD

The Arch of Richard, located in the heart of the old city of Trieste, is an important Roman monument probably dating from the mid-1st century BC. It stood on an ancient Roman road, leading to the assumption that it was either a gate in the walls of Tergeste or the entrance to a sacred area dedicated to the Magna Mater. Even in the Middle Ages it maintained the function of a gate within a larger defensive system.

Several legends surround the origin of its name. Some link it to the passage of Richard the Lionheart or Charlemagne, while a more accepted hypothesis has it derived from a deformation of the Latin word “cardo maximus,” one of the two main streets of Roman cities.

The arch, consisting of a single arched structure with plant motifs in the sub-arch and a height of 7.20 meters, was a focal point of ancient Tergeste. Although it has been partially encompassed by surrounding buildings over time, recent restoration and demolition have helped to restore it to greater visibility. Riccardo’s Arch represents significant evidence of the Roman presence in Trieste, a city conquered in 177 BC, and of the Romans’ efforts to beautify the original settlement.