Rome’s drought-hit Tiber river has given locals and tourists a rare opportunity to see the remains of a 2,000-year-old bridge that once spanned the river. The flow of the Tiber has fallen below 80 cubic meters a second, half the national average for this time of year.
Nero’s Bridge
Nero’s Bridge (Pons Neronianus) was thought to have been built as a triumphal monument by the Emperor Caligula around 39 AD. However, it is referred to as Nero’s Bridge because Nero, Caligula’s nephew, renamed a number of ancient structures after himself during his rule from 54 to 68 AD.
The bridge originally connected the ancient Campus Martius area to the Circus of Nero stadium where St. Peter was martyred and upon which St. Peter’s Basilica and the Vatican City now stand. The remnants of the structure can best be seen from the Bridge of Angels, which leads to Castel Sant’ Angelo near Vatican City.
The Tiber’s low water level has also turned up e-bikes and scooters, refrigerators, and even a car further upstream. The last time the remains of the bridge were visible was during a similar drought in 2022.
Original reporting: KEYT (Ventura/Santa Barbara) — read the source article.
