Ponte Pietra Site Features

The bridge crosses the Adige in five arches, and reading it from one bank to the other is a lesson in how much of it is which century.

The two arches at the northern end are the Roman work, in large blocks of white stone laid without mortar in the Roman manner. They are visibly different from the rest -- paler, larger-jointed, and lower-slung.

The remaining arches are brick, from the medieval and later rebuildings; the Scaligeri repaired the bridge in the fourteenth century, and further work followed.

The tower at the northern end is a medieval addition, part of the defensive arrangements that controlled the crossing.

What is standing today is largely a reconstruction of 1957-59, but not a replica: the stones were recovered from the river and re-set, so the material is the original even where the assembly is modern.

The bridge's unequal arches and mix of pale stone and brick make its layered history visible. Views take in the riverfront, the Roman theatre and the hill of Castel San Pietro.

Ponte Pietra crosses one of the most scenic stretches of the Adige, where the river bends beneath the hill of Castel San Pietro. Looking east and north, the Roman theatre and cypress-covered slope rise above the water; in the opposite direction, towers and riverside buildings lead the eye back toward the historic centre.

The bridge's pale stone and warm brick sections stand out against the river, making its reconstructed historical layers visible from the embankments as well as from the crossing itself. Water level, light and vegetation noticeably change the scene through the seasons.