Ponte di San Vito

Bridge of San Vito

Italian: Ponte di San Vito
The extant arch, August 2013
Coordinates44°5′11.62″N 12°27′12.49″E / 44.0865611°N 12.4534694°E / 44.0865611; 12.4534694
CrossesUso
LocaleSan Vito, Italy
Other name(s)Pontaccio (Romagnol: e Puntaz, lit.'ugly bridge')
OwnerComune di Rimini
Characteristics
DesignArch bridge
Material
Total lengthc.90 metres (300 feet)
No. of spansat least 8
History
Builtc.2 BC
Rebuilt14th century
Location

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.

Dating to the reign of emperor Augustus, the bridge was on a route of the Via Aemilia, the ancient Roman road running between Ariminum (modern Rimini) and Placentia (Piacenza). The bridge crossed the river Uso, which now flows a few metres to the east. In the 14th century, Galeotto I Malatesta, Lord of Rimini, replaced the bridge; an arch of the medieval bridge remains extant above the Augustan stones. The stones of the bridges, prized for their excellent quality, were quarried over subsequent centuries, contributing also to restorations of Rimini's Ponte di Tiberio. In October 2022, Rimini's municipal government incorporated the extant arch into a public park.

The Augustan bridge was likely monumental, with a total length of approximately 90 metres (300 feet), and numbering eight or more arches. In recent centuries, Riminese historians have claimed the bridge as the place where Julius Caesar crossed the Rubicon.