Arco d'Augusto

The Arch of Augustus stands at the northeastern edge of Rimini's old town — ancient Ariminum — and was erected in 27 BC to honor Rome's first emperor. It is among the oldest surviving Roman triumphal arches anywhere in the world, representing an early, relatively austere form of the arch typology: a single passageway flanked by Corinthian half-columns, without the layered sculptural programs that would later define arches like that of Titus in Rome. Crucially, it served a dual purpose: ceremonial monument and working city gate on the Via Flaminia, the principal road connecting Rome to the Adriatic coast. Designated an Italian national monument, the arch stands freely in a small piazza today, allowing visitors to read the original Latin dedication inscription and study the stonework at close range.