TheLucano bridge (in Italian:ponte Lucano) is a Roman stone bridge over theAniene river in theProvince of Rome, Italy, on thevia Tiburtina. Coming from the direction of Rome, the bridge is found afterTivoli Terme and beforeHadrian's Villa. This bridge was part of the project for the most endangered monuments of theWorld Monuments Fund for the year 2010.
The bridge which dates to the first century BC crosses theAniene in the vicinity ofTibur (Tivoli) and consists of seven stone arches[1] which carried traffic on thevia Tiburtina up to the 20th century. In modern times the road was rerouted a little further north over a new bridge.
The archeological site also includes the mausoleum of thePlautii, a great round tower on the south bank of the river, that dates to thefirst century BC, and the ruins of an inn dating from the 15th century. The Plautii were an illustrious Roman family who counted amongst its membersGaius Plautius Proculus,Gaius Plautius Venox andMarcus Plautius Silvanus. One of the inscriptions found on the tower include the following text that indicates that Marcus Plautius Lucanus and Tiberius Claudius Nero built the bridge at the fourteenth mile of theVia Tiburtina:[2]
M PLAVTIVS | M F ANIEN | LVCANVS | TI. CLAVDIVS | TI. F PAL. | NERO. AED. CVR | PR. CENS. TTVIR. V | M. XIV[3]
The ensemble of monuments has survived centuries relatively intact, but is in dire need of repairs. In 2004, during flooding of the Aniene, due in part to the blockage caused by illegal industrial dumping, the decision was taken to restore these monuments and to integrate them progressively into a more welcoming setting.
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41°57′18″N12°45′42″E / 41.9549°N 12.7618°E /41.9549; 12.7618
