Top of the World
The Ronaco or Aurunci Bridge is accessed via the ancient road that connected Sessa Aurunca to the Appian Way. Today, the road is not drivable due to huge and dangerous potholes, but it can be reached by walking for two kilometers. The road is not marked, and the only way to get there is by asking for directions. However, it is worth the effort, as the bridge is one of the most beautiful and least-known Roman bridges preserved in Italy.
Paradoxically, the fact that it is completely abandoned, amidst a forest, makes a tourist feel for a moment like one of those eighteenth-century travelers who undertook the "grand tour" to discover the great monuments of Greek and Latin classicism.
The bridge-viaduct dates back to the late 1st and early 2nd centuries AD. It consists of 21 arches and 20 pillars of varying heights, depending on the terrain. Also of notable interest is the system for channeling rainwater and the presence of the original Roman pavement.
