Alcantara Roman Bridge

The bridge at Alcantara was built between 104 and 106 AD under Trajan by the architect Caius Julius Lacer, whose name is on it, carrying the road from Norba to Conimbriga across the Tagus on six arches, about 194 metres long and 48 metres above the low-water river, which makes it the tallest Roman bridge that survives. It is built of dry-laid granite blocks without mortar, and a triumphal arch stands at the centre of the deck with a small temple at one end that Lacer built for himself. Several spans were destroyed and rebuilt during the medieval and Peninsular wars, most recently in the nineteenth century. The Alcantara reservoir downstream has raised the water, reducing the apparent height.

What you actually see

• The six granite arches - dry-laid stone without mortar, spanning the Tagus.
• The central triumphal arch - a Roman arch standing on the roadway.
• Lacer's temple - a small building at the end raised by the architect.
• The height - nearly fifty metres above the original riverbed.

When to go

March to June and September to November; Extremadura summers are extreme and there is no shade. The reservoir level affects how much of the height is visible, with lower water showing more.

Honest expectations

Several arches are medieval and nineteenth-century rebuilds rather than Roman fabric. The reservoir has raised the water and reduced the drop. Alcantara is remote with limited services.

Nearby

The Tajo International park lies west along the border; Caceres is sixty kilometres east.