The piers of an old bridge across the Tiber River that was once used by Roman emperors but fell into ruin by the third century have been uncovered by Italy’s worst drought in 70 years.
Near the Vittorio Emanuele bridge that spans the river close to the Vatican, two piers of Nero’s Bridge have been visible for most of the summer. These piers are currently being used by seagulls to sun themselves.
According to historian Anthony Majanlahti, the bridge was constructed in the first century for Emperor Nero to access his gardens at Janiculum Hill in what is now St. Peter’s Square. By the third century, the bridge was already deteriorating, so traffic was rerouted to the nearby Sant’Angelo Bridge, which funnelled travellers past the Castel Sant’Angelo to the Vatican.
As per Majanlahti, Nero’s Bridge originally had four piers, but Majanlahti claims two of them were removed in the 19th century to improve the flow of river traffic. ‘Because the water level of the river is so low now due to widespread drought across Italy, we’re able to see a lot more of the piers of the bridge than we usually could’, Majanlahti said.
One of the bridge’s piers may frequently be seen in the driest season in years with typical water levels, but this year, two of them are visible.
A state of emergency has been proclaimed by the Italian government in a number of regions as a result of the ongoing drought and heat waves. The drought has also revealed 20th-century ordinance in lakes and a World War II tank in Italy’s largest river, the Po.
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