Ponte Pietra (Verona)

Bridge in Verona, Italy

45°26′52″N 11°00′00″E / 45.4477°N 10.9999°E / 45.4477; 10.9999CrossesAdige RiverLocaleVerona, ItalyCharacteristicsDesignArch bridgeMaterialTravertine, brickTotal length120 mNo. of spans5HistoryConstruction end100 BC
1957ClosedApril 1945 (4 of 5 spans destroyed)Location Map

The Ponte Pietra (Italian for "Stone Bridge") is a Roman arch bridge crossing the Adige River in Verona, Italy. The bridge was completed in 100 BC, and the Via Postumia from Genoa to Aquileia passed over it. It is the oldest bridge in Verona.^[1]

It originally flanked another Roman bridge, the Pons Postumius; both structures provided the city (on the right bank) with access to the Roman theatre on the east bank. The arch nearest to the right bank of the Adige was rebuilt in 1298 by Alberto I della Scala. Four arches of the bridge were blown up by retreating German troops in World War II, but rebuilt in 1957 with original materials.

Notes and references

^ Editors of Time Out (2013). Time Out Venice: Verona, Treviso, and the Veneto. Time Out Guides. p. 266.

Galliazzo, Vittorio (1994), I ponti romani. Catalogo generale, vol. 2, Treviso: Edizioni Canova, pp. 223–226 (No. 456), ISBN 88-85066-66-6
O’Connor, Colin (1993), Roman Bridges, Cambridge University Press, pp. 93f. (I169), ISBN 0-521-39326-4