▁community . ▁ ▁Geography ▁ ▁The ▁town ▁of ▁Arch i ▁is ▁located ▁on ▁a ▁rock y ▁out c rop ▁over looking ▁the ▁Val ▁di ▁Sang ro ▁and ▁Valle ▁dell ' A vent ino . ▁It ▁covers ▁ 2 8 1 8 ▁hect ares , ▁and ▁borders ▁with ▁the ▁municipal ities ▁of ▁ ▁Per ano , ▁At essa , ▁T orn are c cio , ▁Bom ba , ▁R occ asc ale g na ▁and ▁Alt ino . ▁The ▁Sang ro ▁river ▁flows ▁in ▁the ▁area . ▁ ▁History ▁ ▁The ▁area ▁Arch i ▁was ▁already ▁inhab ited ▁as ▁early ▁as ▁the ▁ 1 1 th - 7 th ▁centuries ▁BC , ▁as ▁test ified ▁by ▁ ▁the ▁Bron ze ▁Age ▁F onte ▁Tas ca ▁site , ▁whose ▁def ensive ▁works ▁still ▁existed ▁in ▁the ▁H ellen istic ▁age . ▁ ▁In ▁the ▁Middle ▁A ges , ▁Arch i ▁was ▁a ▁fort ified ▁center ▁that , ▁together ▁with ▁Cas oli ▁and ▁R occ asc ale g na , ▁constit uted ▁a ▁def ensive ▁triangle ▁that ▁blocked ▁the ▁passage ▁from ▁the ▁eastern ▁Ma iella ▁ ▁to ▁the ▁Sang ro ▁valley ▁ ▁In ▁the ▁Norman ▁period , ▁the ▁town ▁was ▁entr usted ▁to ▁two ▁soldiers ▁managed ▁by ▁one ▁Mars il ius ▁Tro g is ii . ▁Later , ▁Charles ▁I ▁of ▁An jou ▁gave ▁it ▁for ▁thirty ▁ oun ces ▁a ▁year ▁to ▁one ▁Ber ardo . ▁Later ▁he ▁was ▁held ▁by ▁various ▁families ▁including : ▁Car af a , ▁De ▁Sec ura , ▁G ue