Rimini Arch of Augustus & Roman Monuments

The Arco d'Augusto (Arch of Augustus) in Rimini, on the Adriatic coast of Emilia-Romagna, was built in 27 BC to mark the meeting point of two of ancient Italy's most important roads: the Via Emilia, which ran from Piacenza through Bologna and Modena to Rimini, and the Via Flaminia, the great highway connecting Rimini with Rome. It is the oldest surviving Roman triumphal arch in Italy, predating the Arch of Titus in Rome by over a century. The arch stands at the southern edge of Rimini's historic centre, still embedded in the medieval city walls, and retains its original single-barrel-vaulted passage flanked by half-columns in the Corinthian order, with lunettes above the side niches preserving partially legible dedicatory inscriptions. A 15-minute walk north through the medieval centre leads to the Ponte di Tiberio (Bridge of Tiberius, 20 BC), begun under Augustus and completed under Tiberius, which still carries pedestrian and light vehicle traffic across the Marecchia River after more than 2,000 years of continuous use. The bridge's five Istrian stone arches are in near-perfect condition and represent one of the most tangible demonstrations of Roman engineering endurance anywhere in Italy. A third monument — the Tempio Malatestiano, the Renaissance transformation of a Gothic church into a pagan temple by Sigismondo Malatesta (begun 1450) — is located between the arch and the bridge and adds a Renaissance layer to the Roman walk. The combined route from the Arch of Augustus to the Ponte di Tiberio covers approximately 1 kilometre and can be walked in a single unhurried hour. All three monuments are free to visit.