Arch of Augustus, Rimini: Detail, original Roman arch and added Medieval merlons

In 268 BCE at the mouth of the Ariminus (today, Marecchia) river, the Romans founded the colony of Ariminum. As the terminus of the Via Flaminia, which ended here in the surviving Arch of Augustus (erected 27 BCE), Rimini was a road junction (Via Flaminia and Via Emilia) connecting central Italy and northern Italy. The merlons were added in the Middle Ages, when it was incorporated as a city gate. It was restored in the 18th century by Tommaso Temenza.