The name of the bridge comes from a false inscription which cites the name a certain M.Allius. It was built at
the beginning of the Roman Republican period and represents one of the finest Roman engineering works along the Via Flaminia.The central supporting arch (11.66 mt wide) is made up
of 21 voussoirs (or wedge shaped blocks) and topped by a projecting cornice. Part of the bridge is still hidden beneath ground level, including the smaller archway
that follows a series of imposing buttresses. Technically, the bridge was constructed by lowering the
vast blocks (some of which are larger than a cubic metre) into place without mortar. The stone, locally known as "grigna", came from a quarry which can still be
seen along the Via Flaminia in the direction of Cantiano. The section of dressed cornelian stone dates from a later restoration, perhaps at the beginning of the Imperial period.
text by Alberto Mazzacchera |
