The name Arce derives from the Roman word "arx", or fortress, to which it was used in various eras, or from
Arcanum, the mountain on which the area is lying. The first time that the name of Arce is found in a document is in the
Ravenna Cosmography from the 7th century AD. At the time it was part of the
Eastern Roman Empire. In 702, Arce was taken by the Lombard
Gisulf I, thus becoming the possession of the Duchy of Benevento. In 846 and in 877 Arce was taken and plundered by the Saracens and again, in 937, by the
Magyars. At the end of the 10th century Arce was donated by the Lombard
prince of Capua to the
monks of Montecassino, who held it until 1058, when the Norman
Richard, Count of Aversa, took possession of it. In 1191 Arce was taken by Holy Roman Emperor
Henry VI. In 1230, when he returned from the Holy Land, the latter's son
Frederick II took over Arce again. In 1265 the town, defended in vain by the troops of
Manfredi of Sicily, was taken by
Charles I of Anjou. Under the Anjou, Arce was granted in fief first to the Cantelmo family, then to the Della Rovere family. The
Della Rovere family held Arce as a fief until 1612, when it was bought by
Giacomo Boncompagni (Duchy of Arce and Duchy of Sora). In 1796 the domination of the Boncompagni family ended and the town was aggregated to the
Kingdom of Naples. The boundary with the Papal State was marked by 14 stones. In 1856 the Civita Farnese road was opened, which still today connects Arce with
Itri, near to the
Tyrrhenian Sea coast. On December 4, 1884, the Roccasecca-Arce railway line was inaugurated, which was subsequently extended to
Avezzano. In 1927, with the dismemberment of the former
province of Caserta, of which it was part, was included in the province of Frosinone. During late
World War II, Arce was occupied by German troops until May 29, 1944, when Allied troops from Cassino arrived. ==Main sights==