Roman Bridge (Ponte Romana) Over The Lima River

Ponte de Lima takes its name from the river and the bridge, and the Roman bridge is the reason the town exists. The settlement began in Roman times as Forum Limicorum, a market town for the Limici people, on the road known as Via XIX that connected Bracara Augusta, now Braga, with Asturica Augusta in north-western Spain. The road had to cross the Lima here, and the first stone bridge was built for that purpose. Part of the present structure, in the form of its older arches and granite piers, reflects that Roman origin, while the rest was rebuilt in the medieval period, in the 14th century, when repairs were needed after centuries of use.

Walking over it today means stepping onto a route that has been used almost without interruption for two thousand years. The surface is rough granite, the arches vary in size and shape, and the parapets have small recesses where pedestrians could stand aside for carts. One end opens toward the old town with its arcades and manor houses, and the other leads to a quieter bank with lawns and plane trees. A small chapel stands near one end, and the river below, wide and shallow, changes with the seasons, running low and clear in summer and high and brown after winter rain.

Life around the bridge is part of its interest. The long riverbank beside it hosts a market every second Monday, said to be one of the oldest in Portugal, where farmers sell vegetables, bread, cheese, linen, and baskets. On the south bank, a landscaped area is used for the International Garden Festival, with experimental gardens designed by different artists and landscape architects. In September the Feiras Novas fill the town with music, fireworks, and processions. The Portuguese route of the Camino de Santiago also crosses the bridge, so pilgrims with backpacks are a common sight.

A legend adds colour. The statue of the Roman general Decimus Brutus stands nearby, recalling the story that his soldiers hesitated to cross the Lima, which they took for the river of forgetfulness. The bridge is the setting for that tale.

There is no fee to cross, and it is open at all hours. The best light for photographs is early or late in the day, and the view from the river bank gives the clearest picture of the line of arches. It suits walkers, photographers, and anyone interested in Roman Portugal.