Ponte di San Vito
Roman bridge near Rimini, Italy / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Roman Bridge of San Vito (Italian: Ponte romano di San Vito), also locally known as the Pontaccio (Romagnol: e Puntaz, lit. 'ugly bridge'), was a Roman bridge in San Vito, a frazione on the borders of Rimini, Santarcangelo di Romagna, and San Mauro Pascoli, in the region of Emilia-Romagna, northern Italy.[1][2]
Bridge of San Vito Italian: Ponte di San Vito | |
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Coordinates | 44°5′11.62″N 12°27′12.49″E |
Crosses | Uso [it] |
Locale | San Vito, Italy |
Other name(s) | Pontaccio (Romagnol: e Puntaz, lit. 'ugly bridge') |
Owner | Comune di Rimini |
Characteristics | |
Design | Arch bridge |
Material | |
Total length | c. 90 metres (300 feet) |
No. of spans | at least 8 |
History | |
Built | c. 2 BC |
Rebuilt | 14th century |
Location | |
Dating to the reign of emperor Augustus,[3] the bridge was on a route of the Via Aemilia, the ancient Roman road running between Ariminum (modern Rimini) and Placentia (Piacenza).[4] The bridge crossed the river Uso [it],[5] which now flows a few metres to the east.[1] In the 14th century, Galeotto I Malatesta, Lord of Rimini, replaced the bridge;[6] an arch of the medieval bridge remains extant above the Augustan stones.[6][7] The stones of the bridges, prized for their excellent quality, were quarried over subsequent centuries,[6][8] contributing also to restorations of Rimini's Ponte di Tiberio.[2][5] In October 2022, Rimini's municipal government incorporated the extant arch into a public park.[9][10]
The Augustan bridge was likely monumental, with a total length of approximately 90 metres (300 feet),[5] and numbering eight or more arches.[6] In recent centuries, Riminese historians have claimed the bridge as the place where Julius Caesar crossed the Rubicon.[6][11]