Arch of Trajan

The Arch of Trajan stands at the edge of Benevento's old centre and is arguably the best-preserved triumphal arch in the Roman world. Built in 114 AD to celebrate the Via Traiana — the road Trajan had constructed to improve the Appian Way's route to Brindisi — it is 15 metres high and almost completely intact. Unlike Rome's surviving arches, which lost much of their carved marble to medieval builders, Benevento's arch kept its full complement of sculptural reliefs.

The panels depict Trajan receiving delegations, performing religious rites, distributing land to veterans, and presiding over the official adoption of his eventual successor. The quality of the carving is exceptional — the figures are deep-cut and expressive, rendered with a confidence that marks a high point of Roman imperial sculpture. You can walk right up to the arch with no barrier between you and the stone. Arrive early in the morning when the low light rakes across the reliefs and makes the carving spring from the surface.

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A story
The Arch of Trajan was built in 114 AD to mark the start of the Via Traiana, Trajan's road shortcut to Brindisi and the East. Unlike Rome's Arch of Titus, which was absorbed into a medieval wall, the Benevento arch stood free in open country for centuries — preserved in part because the city's medieval shrunken footprint left it on the periphery. This is why it survives in better condition than almost anything comparable in Rome itself.