Arco dei Gavi
Last updated on September 10, 2026Overview
The Arco dei Gavi stands beside Castelvecchio in Verona, and two things about it are unusual.
First, it is a private monument. Roman arches were normally imperial; this one was raised in the first century AD by the gens Gavia, a wealthy Veronese family, for themselves.
Second, it is signed. The architect, a freedman named Lucius Vitruvius Cerdo, cut his name into it -- something very few Roman buildings anywhere carry.
What stands is also not where it stood. Napoleonic troops pulled it down in 1805; the stones were kept, and it was rebuilt here in 1932.
Quick Facts
- Type: Monument
- Local name: Arco dei Gavi (vedi la pagina italiana)
- Built: 1st century AD; demolished 1805, reassembled 1932
- Built for: the Gavia family
- Designed by: Lucius Vitruvius Cerdo
- Architectural style: Roman
- A Roman building that names its architect: L. Vitruvius Cerdo, a freedman, signed the arch as its designer -- almost unheard of in Roman architecture, where buildings are credited to their patrons.
- Pulled down, kept, put back: Napoleonic troops demolished it in 1805, but the blocks were numbered and stored; it was reassembled beside Castelvecchio in 1932, near its original site rather than on it.
- UNESCO World Heritage Site: Yes
Visit Responsibly
The arch stands beside a busy road. Take care crossing, and keep off the carriageway when photographing it.
Do not climb on the arch or the displayed Roman paving. The cart ruts are the most fragile thing here and the easiest to wear away further.
Do not touch the inscriptions, including the signature -- carved letters are exactly what hands erode first.
Visiting Castelvecchio alongside supports the museum that conserves much of Verona's Roman and medieval material, including Cangrande's original statue.
Plan Your Visit
The arch is free and always accessible, standing in the open beside Castelvecchio on Corso Cavour. Nothing to book or pay.
It is a ten-minute walk west from Piazza delle Erbe, immediately next to Castelvecchio and its bridge, so the two go together naturally.
Allow ten minutes. Look for the signature and the cart ruts in the paving -- without those it is a handsome arch and little more.
The site is level and fully accessible.
Combined with Porta Borsari and Porta Leoni, it makes a Roman walk through the centre that costs nothing and takes about an hour.