Ponte Vecchio, also known as Ponte degli Alpini, is a covered wooden bridge over the Brenta River, in Bassano del Grappa. The bridge, built to a design by Andrea Palladio, and declared a national monument in 2019, is considered one of the most beautiful bridges in Italy. Over the centuries, Ponte Vecchio was repeatedly destroyed by floods, invasions and wars, requiring numerous rebuilds. SHORT HISTORY OF PONTE VECCHIO The first bridge, built in 1209, a wooden structure on pylons covered by a roof, constituted the fundamental communication route between Bassano del Grappa and Vicenza. In 1315, Bassano was involved in the war between Padua and Cangrande della Scala, Lord of Verona. When the latter occupied Marostica and Angarano, two towers were built to defend the bridge. In 1402, the war between Gian Galeazzo Visconti and the Carraresi also involved Bassano. The Lord of Milan attempted to divert the Brenta River to deprive Padua of its defences by building a bridge consisting of 94 stone arches equipped with wooden gates, but on the night between August 6 and 7, a flood destroyed the bridge. Ponte Vecchio was rebuilt in 1453 after the flood of 1439, but forty years later it Read more [...]