Arch of Augustus (Rimini, Italy)

The Arch of Augustus (Italian: Arco d'Augusto, Romagnol: l’Èrc d’Augóst) is a gate set in the former city wall of Rimini, Emilia-Romagna, in the form of an ancient Roman triumphal arch. Built in 27 BC in honour of Augustus, the first Roman emperor, the arch marks the northern end of the Via Flaminia, the road between Ariminum (Rimini) and Rome constructed in 220 BC by Gaius Flaminius. Under Fascist Italy, the adjoining city walls and surrounding buildings were demolished, leaving the Arch of Augustus to stand as an isolated monument. The Arch of Augustus is the oldest preserved triumphal arch in Italy. Along with the Ponte di Tiberio, it is one of Rimini's most-recognised symbols, and is represented on the city's coat of arms. Because of the city's location at the tip of a strategically-important north–south passage by the Adriatic Sea, many armies have passed through the Arch of Augustus, leading Antonio Paolucci to describe the Arch of Augustus as "the eye of Italy's needle".