Arco dei Gavi

The Arco dei Gavi is an ancient structure in Verona, northern Italy, situated at the beginning of the Via Postumia, just outside the Roman walls of the city. Built to celebrate the gens Gavia, a noble Roman family who had their hometown in Verona, the Arco dei Gavi is a very rare example of a privately funded monumental Roman arch. During the Renaissance the arch was one of the most admired monuments in Verona, being described by humanists and antiquarians, who studied in detail the proportional relationships and decoration of the structure. The arch served as inspiration for many architects and painters, such as Andrea Palladio, Antonio da Sangallo the Younger, Sebastiano Serlio, Giovanni Maria Falconetto, Michele Sanmicheli, Giovanni Bellini and Andrea Mantegna. It had a particularly pronounced influence on the architecture of Verona itself, serving as a model for the construction of portals, altars and chapels in the churches of the city. The arch no longer stands in its original position, as it was demolished by French military engineers in 1805, however, the numerous surveys that had previously been produced made it possible to reassemble it by anastylosis, a process completed in 1932. Subsequently, it was relocated to the small square of Castelvecchio, where it is still located today.

The Arco dei Gavi was commissioned by the prominent Gavi family and built by architect L. Vitruvius Cerdo in the first half of the 1st century AD, likely during the reign of Augustus, or at the latest in the early years of Tiberius' reign. The arch was once interpreted as a funerary monument or cenotaph, owing to its location along the Via dei Sepolcri, however, its function was most likely the same as that of many other provincial arches: as a symbolic monument of municipal liberties, customarily erected on some occasion of great importance to the city.

Erected along the Via Postumia as an isolated monument, it was later stripped of its decorative elements and incorporated into the new city walls, which were built from the 12th century along the north side of the Adigetto depression, from the current Ponte Aleardi to the fortification that stood on the site of the Castelvecchio. The arch therefore changed its function, being used as a city gate, with the name of Porta di San Zeno. During the rule of the Scaligeri, the arch was incorporated into the defensive system of the Castelvecchio, constructed during the second half of the 14th century. The integration of the structures was extensive - one side of the arch was partially incorporated into a clock tower, while the other supported a walkway that passed over the ancient monument. There was even a guard post in the interior of the arch. This change in function resulted in the partial destruction of the top of the structure, removed to accommodate the chemin de ronde of the castle. It was only during the rule of the Republic of Venice, which financed the construction of the Venetian Walls, that the arch finally lost its function as a fortified gateway to the city. The arch remained, however, an important waypoint on the route from the new Porta Palio to the heart of the city. In 1550, the Republic of Venice sold the structure and surrounding land, including two shops that had opened within the arch, to private individuals. The new owner decided to reveal the ancient structure by demolishing the medieval walls and adjacent huts that surrounded the arch, after which new buildings were constructed at a respectful distance. In 1805, during the Napoleonic occupation, French military engineers dismantled the arch to improve security and traffic flow in the area. The stone elements and decorations of the arch were surveyed in detail to aid in any future reconstruction, after which the blocks were d

Monument data from Wikidata (CC0). Summary from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA).