Ponte Sisto | |
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 Ponte Sisto | |
| Coordinates | 41°53′32.4″N12°28′14.7″E / 41.892333°N 12.470750°E /41.892333; 12.470750 |
| Crosses | Tiber River |
| Locale | Rome, Italy |
| Named for | PopeSixtus IV |
| Location | |
 Click on the map for a fullscreen view | |
Ponte Sisto is a bridge inRome's historic centre, spanning the riverTiber. It connects Via dei Pettinari in theRione ofRegola toPiazza Trilussa inTrastevere.
The construction of the current bridge occurred between 1473 and 1479, and was commissioned by PopeSixtus IV (r. 1471–84), after whom it is named, from the architectBaccio Pontelli, who reused the foundations of a priorRoman bridge, thePons Aurelius, which is also known asPons Antoninus and had been destroyed during the early Middle Ages. Currently traffic on the bridge is restricted to pedestrians. (According to Mandell Creighton's History of the Papacy, the Sistine Bridge was built of blocks from theColosseum. Further, that Sixtus was mindful of the disaster which had occurred in the Jubilee of 1450 through the crowding of the Bridge of S. Angelo, which was the only available means of communication with S. Peter's.)
The predecessor bridge to Ponte Sisto, the Pons Aurelius, was first mentioned by authors in the 4th and 5th centuries and was later known in the Middle Ages as "Pons Antoninus," "Pons Antonini in Arenula," and "Pons Ianicularis id est pons ruptus vulgariter nominatus et Tremelus et Antoninus."[1]
The Pons Antoninus was partially destroyed in 772, at the time theLombard kingDesiderius took Rome, and rebuilt in its current form by Pope Sixtus IV, whose name it carries to this day.
The bridge is architecturally characteristic because of the "oculus" or eye lightening the masonry of its centralspandrel: this was erected to diminish the river's pressure on the bridge in case of flood.
On the left bridge head are placed the copies of two marble slabs (removed in the 1990s after continued vandalism) bearing an elegant Latin inscription composed byRenaissance humanistBartolomeo Platina in honour of Sixtus IV in occasion of the construction of the bridge. They recite:
and
On the corner of via dei Pettinari andvia Giulia once stood a fountain (theFontanone di Ponte Sisto ordei Cento Preti), which relayed water from the great fountain called theAcqua Paola, derived originally from a Roman aqueduct brought back to working order byPope Paul V (r. 1605–21): the water was brought fromLake Bracciano to Trastevere and from there over the Ponte Sisto to theCampo Marzio. The bridge still carries the water of the Acqua Paola across the river in eight large pipes.
On 20 August 1662, a brawl erupting between some Corsican soldiers controlling the bridge and Frenchmen belonging to the retinue of the French ambassador triggered theCorsican Guard Affair and had as effect the disbanding of theCorsican Guard, a corp of mercenaries originating from the island having police duties in Rome.[2]
After theUnification of Italy in 1870, the buildings surrounding themostra dell'acqua paola were destroyed for the erection of theLungotevere along the river side, and the fountain itself was relocated toPiazza Trilussa on the other side of the bridge, where it delivers water to this day.
In 1877, two large cast-iron pedestrian gangways resting on marble consoles were added to the sides of the bridge. After considerable controversies, Rome's mayorFrancesco Rutelli let them be demolished in 2000, restoring Ponte Sisto's pristine silhouette, and since then traffic on the bridge has been restricted to pedestrians.
The Ponte Sisto connects the lively and popularCampo de' Fiori area (reached through via dei Pettinari) and via Giulia withPiazza Trilussa inTrastevere across the river, where many young Romans and tourists gather for an aperitivo on a Friday night.
| Preceded by Torre delle Milizie | Landmarks of Rome Ponte Sisto | Succeeded by Spanish Steps |
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