Arco Etrusco o d'Augusto (Etruscan Arch), Perugia

Built sometime in the third century BC, the Etruscan Arch was one of seven gates granting access to the city of Perugia through its massive walls. Ensconced between two great trapezoidal turrets or donjons, this gate is the best preserved of all the seven gates of the city.

The gate has changed its name on several occasions over time. It has been Porta Terzia, Porta Borca, Arco Trionfale, Porta Vecchia and Porta Pulchra. Besides the two turrets it has a facade with an arch. Above the arch on the left is a Renaissance loggia. At the foot of the same tower is a 17th century fountain.

The arch is also called Arco Augusto for the Emperor Augustus, also known as Octavian. The words "Augusta Perusia" were inscribed on the arch two centuries after it was built to mark the conquest of the city by the Emperor. In the year 40 BC civil war had broken out between Augustus and his former ally, Mark Antony.

Antony's brother, Lucius, had holed up in Perugia with his army and Augustus laid siege to the city. Eventually Lucius surrendered and Augustus sacked, looted and burned the city. But he spared the temples of Vulcan and Juno, so it wasn't all bad. Augustus repented a bit. The citizens could rebuild the city with the name "Augusta Perusia."

In the period 251 to 253 AD the Emperor Gallus honored the city, awarding it the status of Colony. Gallus' antecedents were Perugian. Gallus himself died in yet one more civil war two years later.

Going through the arch, follow Ulisse Rocchi Street and arrive at Corso Vannucci, really the main street of Perugia to this day.