Arco Etrusco (Etruscan Arch), Perugia

The Arco Etrusco, also called the Arco di Augusto, is the grandest surviving gate in Perugia's Etruscan walls and one of the finest monumental gateways of pre-Roman Italy. Built in the second half of the 3rd century BC of huge blocks of local travertine, it framed the main northern entrance to the Etruscan city of Perusia. Its lower part is purely Etruscan: a broad arch flanked by two massive trapezoidal towers, with a decorative upper frieze of round shields and pilasters. After Octavian besieged and rebuilt the city in 40 BC he restored the gate and added the inscription Augusta Perusia along the attic, while the elegant Renaissance loggia and small fountain perched atop the left tower were added much later, giving the monument its layered, much-rebuilt character. Visitors usually pause ten to twenty minutes to take in the scale of the stonework and the way the gate still spans a living street at the foot of Via Ulisse Rocchi. It stands on Piazza Fortebraccio beside the University for Foreigners, on the natural walking route up into the historic centre, so it is best seen in passing rather than as a destination in itself. As an open outdoor monument it is free and accessible at any time, and daytime gives the clearest view of the inscription and carved shields. The Arco Etrusco anchors the Etruscan heritage of Perugia, the capital of Umbria, and pairs well with the nearby Pozzo Etrusco and the Etruscan and Roman collections in the centre.