Arch of Trajan (Ancona)

It was built in honour of that Emperor after he expanded the port of the city out of his own pocket, improving the docks and the fortifications.

The format is that of the Arch of Titus in Rome, but made taller, so that the bronze figures surmounting it, of Trajan on horseback, his wife Plotina and sister Marciana, would be a landmark for ships approaching Rome's greatest Adriatic port.

[1] The inscriptions, which remain legible, were gilt in bronze, but this gilding, along with the friezes and the statues were taken by the Saracens in 848.

Behind the arch and part of the shipyards, the high tower of Gamba was erected in 950, only to be demolished for use in the construction of the Citadel of Ancona (1532).

The arch remains in good condition and has recently been restored and made fully operational by the removal of the aforementioned gates and received lighting, which raises its profile and enhances its particular position with respect to the historic heart of the city and Guasco hill, where the Cathedral stands.