File

Bridge "Pietra" – Verona
Ponte Pietra – 37100 Verona (VR)

Summary

The bridge "Pietra" used to link the Roman city centre to the theatre district. The bridge was made of five arches, two of which are visible today on the left side of the Adige river.

History of research

The bridge "Pietra" has always remained visible but its modern structure is the result of various interventions. The two arches on the left side of the Adige river are of Roman times, whereas the one arch on the right side of the river was built in 1298 by Alberto della Scala, the lord of Verona. The two central arches were constructed in 1520. The bridge was destroyed during the Second World War by the retreating German troops. It was reconstructed between 1957 and 1959.

Urban and geographical context

Verona is located along the Adige river, where this enters in the Po plain, at about thirty kilometres east to the Garda lake. Its altitude is 59 metres above sea level and it is placed at the basis of the Lessini mountains. Ponte Pietra crosses the Adige river’s bend on its northern extreme, close to the San Pietro hill.

Description

Bridge "Pietra"

In Roman times the bridge “Pietra” linked the theatre district to the city centre. Just like today, originally the bridge had five arches and an aqueduct run above them. The two arches on the left side of the Adige river and the abutment in between are in big blocks of white sandstone and belong to the ancient bridge. The abutment has an arched opening aimed at favouring the water flow during river floods. One of the keystones is decorated with the relief of a naked man, which might be a deity connected to the water such as Neptune, Hercules, or the Adige river and which has been dated to the II-III century A.D. The rest of the bridge is the result of various interventions: the arch on the right side of the river dates to the 1298 and was constructed by “Alberto dalla Scala”, lord of Verona; the two central arches were built in 1520. At the end of the Second World War the retreating German troops had the bridge exploded. The bridge was faithfully reconstructed between 1957 and 1959.