Roman Theater and Archaeological Museum (prints of this photo are available at Finearts America) Friday continued We then walked along the river and crossed the Ponte Pietra. The bridge was originally completed in 100 BC. Four arches of the bridge were blown up by retreating German troops in World War II, but it was rebuilt in 1957 with original materials. We were hurrying because I thought that the Roman Theatre Archaeological Museum was about to close, but it turned out that it was open until 7PM. The Roman Theater (Teatro Romano) and Archaeological Museum (Museo Archeologico) were a highlight of our time in Italy. The theater was built in the 1st century BC. After a few centuries, it was no longer used and starting in the 10th century AD, houses, a church and a convent were built on top of the theater. In time the theater was completely hidden. In the 19th century, the hill was purchased and turned into a archeological site which was excavated from 1834 to 1914. Today the theater is a concert facility and most of those later buildings have been removed. The church of Saints Siro & Libera has been preserved, and the cells, refectory and church of the old convent of St. Gerolamo have been turned into an Archeological Museum. The combination of the hillside, Roman ruins and setting sun were beautiful. Between Linda and I, we must have taken 150 photographs.
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