Roman Bridge of Ofanto

This bridge is a striking example of Roman architecture. The bridge has been modernized over time but its original structure has never been affected. In fact, its shape of a donkey's back is noticeable.

The so-called 'Roman bridge' certainly follows the position of the bridge built on the Via Traiana at the beginning of the 2nd century, but very little remains of that structure. Over the centuries it has undergone various changes, some during the Aragonese period, but above all during the reign of Charles III of Bourbon, when in the mid-18th century, after yet another flood, almost the entire central part collapsed, supported by a single large arch, in place of the current two central ones. The bridge visible today is nothing more than a reconstruction carried out by Neapolitan naval engineers, coordinated by the architect Vanvitelli.
Observing the construction typology, the attentive eye will certainly notice substantial differences both with similar bridges from the Roman era and with the remains of Roman buildings in nearby Canosa.
The information regarding the eighteenth-century reconstruction is transcribed in the documents preserved in the 'Regia Dogana delle Pecore' section of the State Archives of Foggia. In fact, the bridge was located on the path of a Royal sheep track coming from Foggia, where two of the five royal sheep tracks of the Kingdom of Naples converged.

What strength these Romans are!