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Arch of Augustus, Fano
The Arco di Augusto, a splendid Roman triumphal arch, provides a fitting gateway to the city of Fano. The Roman Emperor Augustus ordered it to be erected in 2 AD as part of his ambitious project to modernise one of the Empire's most important strategic highways.
The via Flaminia, running from Rome to Rimini, had been built by the Roman Consul Gaius Flaminius in 220 BC to carry Rome's great armies to the northern reaches of the Empire.
The Arch of Augustus was the main entrance gate to the city of Fano and marks the arrival of the Via Flaminia on the shores of the Adriatic. It is set in the city's walls and built in white stone quarried at the Furlo Gorge, 40 km inland. The arch was originally flanked by two circular towers, of which only one survives. On either side of the main six-metre wide archway are two smaller arches. The inscription on the frieze above indicates that it was completed in 10AD.
In the fourth century the arch was briefly re-dedicated to Constantine the Great and a seven-arched portico was added to the top. This was partially destroyed when Federico da Montefeltro, Duke of Urbino, lay siege to the city in the 15th Century - the remains of two columns can still be seen today.
From here the via Flaminia set a course along the decumanus maximus, the Roman town's original main street, before turning north to Rimini.
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