![]() Today, this ancient broken bridge makes a fascinating view along the Tiber in Rome. In 13 BC it was named Ponte Massimo after the emperor Augustus Pontefice Maximus because he ordered a complete restoration and in 872 Pope John VIII named it Ponte Santa Maria after turning the pagan temple of Purtunus in Christian church. We can see the remaining piece of Pons Aemilius standing in front of the modern Ponte Palatino bridge built to replace the ancient “ponte rotto”. While the very first wooden construction dates back to 241 BC by Manlio Emilio Lepido for the opening of the large ancient Aurelia road toady Via della Lungaretta, the bridge was completed only in 142 BC with the building of the stone arches. Originally built in wood, Pons Aemilius has been the first Roman bridge in stonework. It’s known as Ponte Rotto because it’s broken (“rotto” in Italian), but the official name is Ponte Emilio (Pons Aemilius), and it’s the oldest bridge in Rome to date but one that is not in use anymore. This ancient bridge of Rome has never quite had an easy life: heavily damaged during the French invasion in 1849, it has been fully restored in the late 19th century giving it the current look with three large arches coated in travertine and peperino from the Alban Hills. Ponte Cestio has also undergone restorations in the 15th century like Pons Fabricius and in the 17th century by Pope Innocent XI. The bridge displays some inscriptions depending on who ordered the restorations such as emperor Graziano in 370 CE and Rome’s senator Benedictus in the 12th century. Dating back to the 2nd century CE, the bridge we can see and cross today is the result of the master renovation and decoration by one of the biggest artists Rome has had, Gian Lorenzo Bernini. Ponte Sant’Angelo is one of the oldest Roman bridges still in use. The Most Important and Beautiful Bridges of Rome: What and Where They Are Ponte Sant’AngeloĪrguably one of the most spectacular bridges in Rome, Ponte Sant’Angelo was built by Emperor Hadrian to connect his mausoleum (Castel Sant’Angelo) to Rome’s Centro Storico. It connects Trastevere with the modern neighborhoods of EUR and Ostiense. Its construction kicked off in 1937, the same year the scientist it was named after, Guglielmo Marconi, died. Measuring 235 meters (771 feet) in length and 32 meters wide (105 feet), Ponte Marconi is also one of the largest bridges in Rome. A stunning Roman bridge, it connects the city to the Foro Italico and important streets such as via Cassia and via Flaminia. The largest bridge in Rome is Ponte Flaminio, measuring 255 meters in length (836 feet) and 27 meters wide (88 feet). Bridges in Rome provided also a safe passage for trading, commercial, and war carts. In ancient Rome, the first bridges, first in wood then in stone and brickwork, were built to transport foods, grains, and building materials to the city from nearby ports such as Ostia and to surrounding villages. ![]() The decoration of the Roman bridges is every time linked to the ruler’s interest in building prestige and reputation around their family name and work, be it an emperor, a pope, or a modern king. The bridges in Rome had mainly the purpose of exploiting the Tiber for trading and connecting different neighborhoods as well as reaching important extra-urban arteries. In total, counting the buildings over both the Tiber and the Aniene rivers, in Rome there are 34 bridges. The bridges crossing the Aniene river that are currently functional are six: Lucano, Mammolo, Nomentano, Tazio, delle Valli, Salario. While this article is a selection of the most famous bridges of Rome we can see over the Tiber, the city counts also other bridges that cross other local rivers such as the Aniene. Among the Roman bridges that don’t exist anymore, there are Ponte Neroniano (Nero bridge) and the ancient Pons Sublicius, also called the Theodosius bridge. Throughout history, many were built and destroyed or permanently damaged. We are considering only those currently standing and operative. 4 The Most Important and Beautiful Bridges of Rome: What and Where They AreĬounting from Castel Giubileo bridge in northern Rome crossed by the A90 highway all the way to Spinaceto Mezzocamino bridge south of the city, the bridges of Rome that cross the Tiber river are 28.2 What Were the Bridges in Rome Used For?. ![]()
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