Porta Al Arco - Volterra - Tuscany

The Porta dell'Arco (or all'Arco) gate of Volterra, dating from the period between the 4th and 3rd centuries BC, is part of the city wall, originally built by the Etruscans and later modified in the Middle Ages when the city became a Free Municipality.

It is the main entrance to the city on the south side, so opposite Volterra's other Etruscan gate, Porta Diana, on the north side.

Compared to similar constructions in other cities, the gate was less affected by the Roman reconstructions after the city's submission to Rome, and in fact it still retains the grandiose grandeur typical of Etruscan city gates.

During the passage of the Volterra front in World War II, on June 30, 1944 to be precise, the German commandos in the city decided to blow up the gate in order to make entry more difficult for enemy American troops: they agreed, however. not destroy the artifact if it were blocked within 24 hours. The people of Volterra rushed in en masse and managed to seal the monument with stones from the paving stones of the surrounding streets. A bas-relief placed near the gate in 1984 commemorates this achievement.

Willem Vandenameele