Res in publico usu. Abbandono e rinascita di un ponte romano: il caso di San Giovanni de Butris ad Acquasparta

The Umbrian site of S. Giovanni de Butris, widely known to the scientific community, proves to be an excellent starting point for analyzing the public use of Roman bridges as a whole, especially when the administrative structures of the empire ceased. The article arose from the material data, a bridge of the ancient branch of the Via Flaminia near today's center of Acquasparta (TN), and goes through the broad analysis of the sources of law, inscribed in a complete topographical framework that can unite the historical and the anthropic aspects of this area. At the end, the study delineates the history of the site from the late antiquity until the arrival of the Knights of St. John of Jerusalem in the 13th century, who built on the bridge and in its proximity their commandery, whose architectural remains still characterize the landscape.