10 Beautiful Bridges to see in Rome

10 Beautiful Bridges to see in Rome

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Rome is probably one of the oldest cities in the world. Yes, humanity has been living in the city for several millennia now. The city was built in 753 BC! And it is still very popular! The city is the genesis of a lot of things; think architecture, civilization, art, and even literature. 

Rome is known for anything ancient! I have read a lot about the Roman Empire, it is very popular and if you love literature, you might have met a few legends from Rome. The Vatican; the home of the Pope is also in Rome! It is arguably one of the most visited cities in not only Italy but the world! 

Apart from amazing architecture like the Colosseum where it is estimated that half a million people and over one million people were killed, Rome has some amazing bridges which we will look at. Here we go! Oh, and while there are many rivers in Rome, River Tiber is the most common, and many of these bridges cross the river at many points.

1. Ponte Milvio

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People recently started attaching padlocks to this bridge as a romantic gesture. This bridge is one of the oldest bridges, not only in Rome but in the world! The bridge was used in 312 AD as it was the site for the ‘Battle of the Maldivian Bridge’. This was the time when Christian and pagan forces were fighting for dominance and Constantine the Great defeated Emperor Maxentius which made the Roman Empire a Christianity. 

The bridge links the area of Flamino to the neighborhood of Ponte Milvio.

2. Music Bridge 

The music bridge is magnificent. It is one of the newest bridges in Rome and also the biggest pedestrian bridge in the city! The 21st Century bridge connects Flamino to the Paco Della Musica. 

The bridge is used by cars as well as pedestrians since it has a pedestrian walkway made of wood. While most bridges in Rome are made of stone and concrete, this bridge’s designs incorporate two steel arches which project outward and are made of asphalt about 190 meters long. 

3. Ponte Setimia Spizzichimo

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This bridge is very beautiful, unique, and is one of the most recent ones. It was opened in 2012 and was dedicated to one of the few survivors of the Roman holocaust, Setimia Spizzichimo. She died in the neighborhood near the bridge in 2000. The bridge is a truss arch bridge made of white steel and is a road bridge.

The magnificent bridge links Via Osteniense and Garbatella Quarter; if you look at the bridge closely, you will realize it resembles the DNA structure. 

4. Ponte Flaminio 

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This bridge is stunning. Built-in the 1930s as a product of the fascist era and the dictator Mussolini, the bridge has an amazing display of not only intricate architecture but also elaborate decorations. 

The bridge’s monumental streetlamps and eagles which symbolize the Roman Empire. The bridge is made of concrete and connects Parioli District and Corso di Francia. 

5. Ponte Sisto 

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The bridge which crosses River Tiber was built in about 1475; also a renaissance bridge with four arches! One of the oldest, and as a matter of fact, it is the oldest pedestrian bridge and was commissioned by Pope Sixtus IV Rovere which was meant to accommodate the large number of people going to the St Peter’s Basilica Church. 

The bridge, also called Ponte di Agrippa was built by an emperor who lived there in the third century, on the place which had ruins of the Ponte Aurelio. The bridge connects the center of Rome to Trastevere and the views from the bridge are simply magnificent. One can also see St Peter’s Church from there! The stone is made of marble and tuff stone, measures about 108 meters, and is only used by pedestrians.

6. Ponte Sant’Angelo

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Walking on this bridge feels like walking amid Angels, and for real, you will be walking amid angels. It is one of the most stunning bridges anywhere. In around 135 AD, the emperor at the time built the bridge to allow pilgrimage to access St Peter’s Basilica.

If you have not been to Rome, you need to visit the city, and if not for anything, just visit it to see this old but spectacular bridge that has angels! First, the statue of Archangel Michael stands on the bridge. Legend has it that in the Middle Ages, the archangel appeared on the very same spot to mark the end of the plague in 590 AD. There are a total of 10 unique statues, along the bridge. Each one of the statues is holding an instrument of Jesus’s Crucifixion; they represent the final years of Jesus’s life. The spectacular display of the angels is the work of one Gian Lorenzo Benini who was commissioned in 1669 by Pope Clement IX!

This is an arched pedestrian bridge that has five arches and it allows access from Rome to Castle Sant’Angelo.

7. Ponte Fabricius

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Imagine walking on a bridge built 62 BC and has had minor touch-ups and little modifications. Such a bridge exists! The Ponte Fabricio also is known as the Bridge of Four Head or Ponte dei Quattro Capi links the Capitoline region to the islands, running across the Tiber River. This is the oldest bridge in Rome and was built by Lucius Fabricius. 

The bridge has only had a little brickwork done after a flood, but it has maintained its relic self since then and people still use it! It is an arched bridge that has two arches that support the bridge and the four heads mentioned in its name is believed to be for the two-faced Roman god Janus whose statues were made on pillars that were placed on both ends of the bridge. The original statues have since been moved, though.

8. Ponte Vittorio Emanuel II

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One thing that one will find in plenty in Rome is sculptures and statues. Each will be different, each will tell a different story, done by different people. On this particular bridge, you will find four magnificent sculptures made in 1911 out of travertine marble. They are extraordinary! They are all symbolic; one symbolizes Loyalty of the State, the second one Oppression Conquered, the other one Freedom and the Unification of Italy.  

Castel Sant’Angelo a mausoleum; the bridge was designed by Ennio de Rossi and was opened on the 50th Anniversary of Italy’s unification! The three-arched bridge crosses the Tiber river and is about 108 meters long. 

9. Ponte Palatino 

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The bridge links Forum Boarium to Piazza Castellani over the Tiber River. The structure rises from the slopes of the Palatine Hill and that is where the name is derived from. The bridge was designed by Angelo Vasovali and was built in 1890 in the site where ‘The Broken Bridge’ was located. The Ponte Aemilius bridge, which was initially a three-arched bridge now has one arch; one of them was destroyed in a flood while the other one was demolished to make way for the Ponte Paltino!

The iron bridge has four pillars. 

10. Ponte Nomentano

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The Ponte Nomentano is widely known for its medieval bridge tower which crosses River Aniene, a tributary of River Tiber. The bridge is just outside the city of Rome and was used by people for hiking and picnic expeditions. While most parts of the city have a touch of modernity, the bridge remains untouched and is in the same state it was. 

Because of its state, traffic for pedestrians was directed to a nearby newer bridge. The Ponte Nomentano is a one arch bridge, though the original one had three arches. During the Greek-Gothic War in 552, the bridge’s two arches were destroyed therefore modifications were done on it- the addition of two very small arches on the side.