The harbour
For the study of the harbour basins and moles the ancient literary sources are obviously of great importance, but also old drawings and photos. The Roman harbour consisted of moles, a main basin and a small inner harbour, in Italian called "darsena". The moles are today incorporated in later harbour structures, revealing on a few spots the original work. At the start of the south mole a large fort was built by pope Julius II, in the early sixteenth century. The main architect was Bramante. The upper part is said to have been designed by Michelangelo, which is why the building is known today as Forte Michelangelo.
Forte Michelangelo. Photo: civitavecchia.portmobility.it.The inner harbour was dug out in the coast. It measures 300 x 350 metres, is 4 to 6 metres deep, and has an entrance 18 metres wide. Some opus reticulatum of the perimeter is preserved below the present water level. To the east seems to have been a wall of large travertine blocks with a series of doors, perhaps a customs barrier or related to a military function of the basin. To the north was a large square.
1 - outer basin; 2 - darsena; 3 - Torre di Lazzaretto; 4 - Torre del Bicchiere; 5-6 - towers.
Image: Ken Trethewey.The main harbour was protected by two artificial moles, reaching out into the sea. In between and in front was another mole, not connected to the mainland, but an island serving as a breakwater. In Italian it is called "antemurale". The south mole and the breakwater were both 350 metres long, the width will have been 11 metres. The upper part was made of sandstone blocks and opus reticulatum. The entrance between the island and the south mole is now closed. The north mole was 250 metres long. From Pliny's words has been deduced that the north mole had a row of arched openings through which the water could pass, and 8 of these have been preserved incorporated in post-Roman, papal enlargements. In the past the basin was 5 to 7 metres deep. It has been suggested that the harbour was designed by the famous architect Appolodorus of Damascus, but for this there is no evidence.
Remains of an arch in the north mole, incorporated in post-Roman, papal work.
Photo: Quilici 1993, fig. 16.
The harbour drawn by Leonardo da Vinci.
Sala del Tesoro, Biblioteca Ambrosiana, Milan: Codex Atlanticus leave n.271.
Image: civitavecchia.portmobility.it.
