The banks of Rome's River Tiber held today after days of heavy rain triggered fears the historic centre of the Italian capital might be flooded.
The high point of the river passed the centre near the Vatican and Castel Sant' Angelo after midnight.
While the river was exceptionally high - covering all but the tops of trees, it did not breach a large stone embankment that snakes through the centre.
Fair weather returned today, giving residents and shopkeepers a chance to clean up but more rain, albeit much lighter than that in the past few days, was expected for Sunday.
Overnight hundreds of Romans went out to take pictures of the roaring muddy water, which touched the bottom of the arches of several old bridges.
At least two pedestrian bridges were closed as a precaution although officials said there was no risk to their stability.
One person, a 27-year-old Irishman who had come to Rome for a wedding, was missing after he fell off a bridge in a northern area of the capital last night.
Rome's mayor declared a state of emergency on Thursday after severe storms flooded underpasses, disrupted trains and flights and killed one person. Residents were asked not to use their cars so that roads would be clear for emergency vehicles.
The smaller Aniene river running through the city's northeast burst its banks on Friday, forcing police to seal off nearby areas and block off a major road leading into Rome. It was re-opened on Saturday.
Several houseboats and floating restaurants had been ripped from their moorings and one slammed into the Sant' Angelo bridge. Civil protection squads were trying to remove it because it was obstructing the flow of the water.
Rains have hit much of Italy this week, causing at least one death in the south and an estimated €200 million of damage to agriculture.
Reuters