Photo: Arched Bridge Valor Las Alpujarras Granada Andalusia Spain

An arched bridge extends across a river next to the town of Valor, Las Alpujarras, which is on the fringes of the Parque Natural de Sierra Nevada, located in the Province of Granada in gorgeous Andalusia, Spain.

This arched bridge is just one of a few bridges that span a river near Valor, on the edges of the Parque Natural de Sierra Nevada in Granada, Spain. An arched bridge is a very common way to build a bridge, as they work well by transferring the weight of the bridge among each of the arched sections, so that one part does not have to carry more weight than another.

These kinds of bridges were very common during the Roman era, and some of them built during this time are still in operation today. During the Medieval times in Europe, engineers built upon the initial idea of the Roman arched bridges, but made the piers narrower and introduced things like pointed arches rather than just round ones. Some of the world's most famous bridges, such as the Ponte Vecchio in Florence, are arched bridges.

The terrain around the area of the Parque Natural de Sierra Nevada is a mixture of rugged and tall mountains and then vast plains, which can be green and lush. ... continue below the picture...

This picture is part of the photo album "Spain Pictures" - there are more beautiful images waiting for you.

... This is a popular area for tourists to visit in Spain, not only because the landscape is so exciting and diverse, but also because anyone can come across architectural treasures such as this bridge set nestled in the hillsides, that are an example of what people can build that can last for centuries.

Arched bridge across a river next to the town of Valor, Las Alpujarras on the fringes of the Parque Natural de Sierra Nevada, Province of Granada, Andalusia (Andalucia), Spain, Europe.