View of Rome: The Ponte Rotto with the Avertine Hill in the Distance

The Pons Aemilius, built in the second century BC, was the first stone bridge built over the Tiber. It had to be repaired many times over the centuries, and after floods swept away three of its arches in 1598, it became commonly known as the Ponte Rotto, or "broken bridge." In the late nineteenth century, a further two arches were removed, leaving just a single one standing in the middle of the river.