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About
Built in Roman times, Ponte Pietra (Stone Bridge) is the oldest bridge on the Adige River, in Verona.
SHORT HISTORY
A first wooden bridge was built on this place during the construction of Via Postumia, in 148 BC. Subsequently, the wooden bridge was replaced by the stone one.
In the following centuries, the bridge was damaged many times, mainly due to the flooding of the Adige River, in particular in 1007, in 1153, in 1232 and again in 1239.
In 1298, the Lord of Verona Alberto della Scala had the tower on the western bank of the river restored and the adjacent arch rebuilt, while in 1368, his great-grandson, Cansignorio della Scala, built an aqueduct on the same bridge that supplied water to several houses in the historic center of the city. During the same time, the bridge was equipped with a second tower on the eastern bank of the river.
In 1508, the City Council asked the architect Fra’ Giocondo to supervise the reconstruction of the Roman bridge, but the work began only in 1520, after the death of the architect, and was finished one year later.
After a few centuries of relative tranquility, in 1801, the tower on the western bank of the Adige was demolished, and the bridge was freed from the numerous huts built on it, considered incompatible by the Municipality of Verona with the majesty of the Roman monument.
Ponte Pietra was severely damaged on April 24, 1945, when it was blown up by retreating German soldiers, an explosion that left intact only the arch towards the city.
The bridge was rebuilt with original materials by the architects Piero Gazzola and Libero Cecchini, using extensive photographic documentation. The work began on February 4, 1957, and was completed on March 3, 1959.
ARCHITECTURE
The current bridge, measuring 92.80 meters in lenght and 7.20 meters in width, consists of five arches of different lengths. Two of the arches date back to Roman times, the western shoulder of the bridge with the tower above and the adjacent arch are from the Scala period, while the two remaining arches are from the Venetian era.
HOW TO GET THERE
Ponte Pietra is located about 2.9 kilometers away from the Verona Porta Nuova railway station. The closest bus stop is in Via Santo Stefano 14, about 70 meters away, on the bus Lines 31, 32, 33, 73, 91 and 104.
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