| Photo Information |
Copyright: Alessandro Tura (Fellini)
![Gold Star Critiquer/Silver Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 195 W: 20 N: 360]](http://i1.trekearth.com/misc/g-s-g.gif) (1682) |
| Genre: Places |
| Medium: Color |
| Date Taken: 2008-07-05 |
| Categories: Architecture, Event |
| Camera: Olympus C-7070WZ |
| Exposure: f/2.8, 1 seconds |
| More Photo Info: [view] |
| Photo Version: Original Version, Workshop |
| Date Submitted: 2008-07-05 0:48 |
| Viewed: 347 |
| Points: 17 |
|
| [Note Guidelines] Photographer's Note |
Rimini - Pink Night today!
Tiberius Bridge in pink light preview, sharing for TE...
See others night shot of the Roman bridge in the workshop..
"PONTE DI TIBERIO" - Tiberius Bridge history and legend
The Ponte di Tiberio, the sturdy Roman bridge that spans the canal between Rimini's town centre and Borgo San Giuliano, was initiated, like many of the classical-era building projects in Rimini, by the Emporor Augustus, in the year 14 A.D. The bridge was finished in 21 A.D by Augustus's succesor Tiberius.
There are two things to immediately note about the bridge:
* Firstly, it remains relatively unchanged since its completion in the time of Tiberius - a testament to the sturdiness of the engineering, and the Istrian limestone used in its construction. The bridge's most northerly arch was destroyed in 522 by the Ostrogoth leader Usdrila, besieging the Byzantine general Narses in Rimini. Reconstruction work on the bridge was undertaken by Innocent XI in 1689, while Rimini was under the control of the Holy See. Some minor damage was done to the bridge by Spanish troops in 1742, necessitating further reconstruction, but the bridge remains, for the most part, intact, and one of the best preserved examples of Roman bridge-building. So the bridge you can walk or drive across today, is much the same as it was almost 2,000 years ago.
* Secondly, while the bridge is relatively unchanged, the river that it once traversed is no longer the same. When the bridge was constructed, it was to cross the river Marecchia, which was prone to violent flooding. The bridge was built with five arches, supported by oblique piers that once ran parallel to the river's current, offering the least resistance. During the XXth Century the river Marecchi was diverted northwards to its current path, between San Giuliano and Rivabella, leaving the more tranquil canal which currently flows underneath the Tiberius bridge.
The Devil's Bridge
The bridge is known locally as the Devil's bridge - something which it shares in common with other notable Roman bridges throughout Europe. Behind the name is a legend, surrounding the bridge's origins.
According to legend, Tiberius struggled to complete the bridge started by his step-father Augustus. Work took several years, and each time progress was made part of the bridge would collapse. Tiberius pleaded with all the Gods for aid, to no avail. Finally (and anachronistically, but no matter), he turned to the one power capable of building the bridge - the Devil. A pact was made, whereby the Devil would build the bridge in return for the soul of the first living being to cross. The bridge was built, overnight, but when the time came for the inauguration of the bridge, Tiberius slyly sent a dog to cross the bridge in honour of the Gods. The devil, outfoxed, tried to destroy the bridge, in vain. In anger the Devil left, leaving two goat like footprints, supposedly visible in the bridge's stonework to this day.
The legend is a common one, applied to various roman bridges that survived through the chaos of the early middle ages. In reality, during the early medieval period, the techniques used by roman engineers had been lost, and materials had changed, leading to bridges that, unlike the Ponte di Tiberio, would not stand the test of time. Faced with such a durable bridge, without the cultural memory of how to build them, it's not hard to see why legends built up ascribing the construction of these bridges to supernatural forces.
1945 brought a new chapter to the legend, when German troops, retreating from allied troops, mined the bridge with the intent to destroy it. Thankfully, like so many military attempts to bring the bridge crumbling down, it was unsuccesful, as the explosives failed to ingite.
The Tiberius Bridge Today
This magnificent Roman bridge is very much still in functional use, bringing traffic and pedestrians from the Borgo San Giuliano accross into the city centre.
The Bridge, in recent years, has played the double role of backdrop and ideal viewing point for a series of concerts, and spectacular shows set on floating stages in the port canal. Most noticeably during the Festa del'Borgo, the festival run every two years by the residents of the old fishing quarter Borgo San Giuliano |
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