Emilio Bridge

The Pons Aemilius, today known as Ponte Rotto (the broken bridge), is the oldest known stone bridge in Rome and now stands as a single arch marooned in the middle of the Tiber. Construction began in 179 BC and the masonry arches were added in 142 BC under the censor Marcus Aemilius Lepidus; the bridge marked the start of the Via Aurelia and later the Via Portuensis to Portus Romae at the river mouth. After repeated rebuildings its arches collapsed again in the great Tiber floods of the 16th century; a final restoration under Pope Gregory XIII failed in 1598 and the bridge has been broken ever since. Today the surviving arch stands isolated next to the Ponte Palatino, from which it is best photographed. It is one of Rome's most striking river ruins and is listed as an Italian national monument.