Bridge of Tiberius

The Ponte di Tiberio is one of the best-preserved Roman bridges in Italy, spanning what is now the Portocanale in central Rimini since the year 21 AD. Construction began under Emperor Augustus and was completed under his successor Tiberius, whose name the bridge eventually took — well into the 19th century it was still called Ponte d'Augusto. Its five arches of Istrian limestone proved so robust that they survived medieval sieges, floods, and World War II bombing largely intact. Since 2020 the bridge has been permanently closed to motor traffic; archaeological finds recovered from the riverbed are displayed in a fenced open-air area on the western bank. Today it functions as a pedestrian crossing with quiet views over the canal, and excavated Roman artefacts displayed nearby give it the feel of an unhurried open-air archaeological site.