Arco di Traiano
Rising 15.6 metres above a quiet Benevento street, the Arch of Trajan is widely regarded as the best-preserved Roman triumphal arch in existence — every panel of its marble reliefs still razor-sharp after 1,900 years. Step up close at golden hour and the carved scenes of imperial triumphs practically glow.
A Monument Frozen in Time
Erected in 114 AD to celebrate the opening of the Via Traiana — a shorter alternative to the Via Appia linking Benevento to Brindisi — the arch stands 15.6 metres tall and 8.6 metres wide, its marble reliefs depicting Emperor Trajan distributing land to veterans and presiding over religious rites.
In the Middle Ages the arch was absorbed into the city walls and served as a gate known as the Porta Aurea, which is why it survived intact when so many Roman monuments did not. Today it stands free again, framed by a small piazza and best admired at dusk when warm light rakes across every carved face.
Reading the Reliefs
The sculpted panels are an open-air history textbook: the city-side reliefs show Trajan's relations with the gods and the Roman people, while the country-side panels celebrate his military campaigns and provincial administration. Bring binoculars — the upper register details are extraordinary.
The arch appears on the coat of arms of the Province of Benevento and was proposed for individual UNESCO inscription in 2021, adding to its already stellar pedigree as one of Campania's defining monuments.
Arco di Traiano on video
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