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Sailing along ancient Romes’
sacred river, one can relive the splendors of two thousand
years of history and discover rare and unusual views of
the city as it is today, with its famous monuments, its
bridges and the tranquil houseboats of river lovers. A tour
of approximately 1 hour and 40 minutes, departing from the
Umberto 1 Bridge and sailing as far as the Duca D’Aosta
Bridge, and back to the starting point.
THE
BRIDGES OF ROME
The millenary bridges of
the Tiber, and the monuments which line it, are the ideal
setting for a brief cruise which allows you to discover
a river full of history, forgotten for too many centuries,
which has finally made a big comeback in Romes’ tourism
and social life.
The bridges and the river
itself, have always held religious significance for the
Romans, so much so that the builders of these bridges; the
Pontifices, had sacerdotal powers. Ancient Romes’ life
depended on the river, which was their means of connecting,
and the city’s most important resource. It is from
the river that many myths and legends originate which, although
they maybe misterious, contain elements which can help us
comprehend some of the more archaic aspects of the history
of Rome. Rome seen from the river, still today, means reliving
that remote atmosphere and seizing the real dimension of
a city which was created and developed around this river,
and of a river, which lives in symbiosis with its city.
PONTE FABRICIO E
PONTE CESTIO - FABRICIO BRIDGE AND CESTIO BRIDGE
Built half a century before the christian era, by the consul
L. Fabricio and by Lucio Gaio Cestio, the two bridges link
the Tiberina Island to the mainland, and can be entered
from both the left bank and the right bank. The strategic
position of the island, as well as it being used as a barn
by wealthy landowners, gave the two bridges particular importance.
The bridges being two arms where floating mills were moored,
allowing food and energy to be supplied constantly to the
city. This probably explains the arcaic worshipping of Fauno,
misterious rural divinity, to whom a special votive altar
has been dedicated. However the more popular cult which
originated on the Tiberina island and it’s bridges,
was that of Esculapio, God of medicine, whose sacred symbol,
a snake, was taken from the greek sanctuary of Epidauro
by the Romans, in an attempt to stop the outbreak of plague
in 293 b.c.
According to legend, the
snake, transported to Rome on a ship, slid into the water
and hid on the island. From that moment the plague miraculously
came to an end on the island, declared sacred, a temple
was erected to the god Esculapio, where today the Church
of Saint Bartolomeo stands.
The devotion to the God
of medicine turned the island into a place of cure for the
ill; a tradition alive still today in the ancient building
which houses the Fatebenefratelli hospital.
PONTE GARIBALDI
- GARIBALDI BRIDGE
Was constructed in 1888,
planned by the Architect Vescovalli it is 120mts. long,
and was at the time the third longest bridge in the world
surpassed only by two bridges on the River Senna. The bridge
which connects Via Arenula to Trastevere, is dedicated to
‘The Hero of The Two Worlds’, whose leggendary
deeds are engraved on the marble columns.
PONTE SISTO
- SISTO BRIDGE
Built in1475 by Pope Sisto
IV (to substitute the ancient Aurelio bridge which had been
damaged seven centuries earlier), has four arches with a
large central hole (commonly known as ‘occhialone’-
eye), its function is to indicate any variation in the water
level. In the vicinity of the Sisto bridge is the Palazzo
Spada and Piazza Trilussa dedicated to the Roman poet.
PONTE MAZZINI
- MAZZINI BRIDGE
Open to traffic in the early
900’s, it has three arches with pierced parapets in
stone. It links Via Giulia to Via della Lungara where the
old Regina Coeli Prison is located.
PONTE PRINCIPE
AMEDEO - PRINCE AMEDEO BRIDGE
Is 110mts. long with three
arches in brickwork, it was open to traffic in 1942 and
is dedicated to Prince Amedeo of Savoia, who died that year
during a battle to save Amba Alagi. It links Piazza della
Rovere (at the bottom of the Gianicolo) to the Lungotevere
dei Fiorentini.
PONTE VITTORIO
EMANUELE - VITTORIO EMANUELE BRIDGE
Dedicated to the first King
of Italy, the bridge was inaugurated in 1911, during Italy’s
fiftieth anniversary celebrations. It is 108 mts. long with
three arches in brickwork and is decorated with two large
bronze statues representing the Victory and by four allegorical
groups which symbolize the Uniting of Italy, freedom, oppression
and loyalty to the statute. The bridge connects the Corso
Vittorio Emanuele to St. Peters.
PONTE SANT’ANGELO
- SANT’ANGELO BRIDGE
The constructing of this
bridge which dates back to the year 126 a.c. wanted by the
Emperor Elio Adriano, from whom it acquired its name, to
access the grand mausoleum which he had had erected and
in which he was to be buried two years later. The bridge
acquired its actual name in the 600’s when Pope Gregorio
Magno had, leggend tells us, a vision of the Angel putting
a sword back in its holder therefore this divine anger had
ceased, and with it so had the plague.
At the same time, the mausoleum
of Adriano changed name and its function, from imperial
tomb it became the Castle of Saint Angelo, fortress of the
Popes. 135 mts. long with five arches decorated with statues
of angels, it is the most beautiful bridge in Rome and the
most significative bridge in papacy history.
PONTE UMBERTO
1° - UMBERTO 1° BRIDGE
Inaugurated in 1895 from
designs of the arcitect Vescovalli. On the right bank is
the old courthouse known as the ‘Palazzaccio’;
on the left bank are the Napoleonic Museum and the Military
Supreme Court, and nearby the ancient Hotel Albergo dell’Orso,
who boasts amongst its guests, Dante Alighieri, Rabelais,
Montaigne and Goethe.
PONTE CAVOUR - CAVOUR
BRIDGE
Built in 1902 designed by
the architect Vescovalli, the Cavour Bridge links up the
Piazza Cavour with Via Ripetta and the centre of Rome and
‘marks’ the location where the Ripetta river port
arose, and was later demolished as there was less and less
a need for it as ‘traffic’ diminished along the
Tiber River.
PONTE REGINA
MARGHERITA - QUEEN MARGHERITA BRIDGE
Inaugurated in 1891, and
dedicated to Margherita of Savoia, first Queen of Italy,
esteemed and loved by the Italians for her culture and refined
manner.
It is 103 mts. long, the
bridge has three arches in brick work and links the popular
suburb of Prati with Piazza del Popolo.
PONTE RISORGIMENTO
- RISORGIMENTO BRIDGE
Bold and elegant construction
in reinforced cement with one arch, covered in stone similar
to travertine, it was designed by the architect Hennebique
and was inaugurated in 1910, in honour of all those who
fought in the Wars of Indipendence, therefore contributing
to the Italian Renaissance.
The bridge is 159 mts. long
and 20 mts. wide, it links the suburb Mazzini to the Parioli
suburb.
PONTE DUCA
D’AOSTA - DUCA D’AOSTA BRIDGE
Designed by the architect
V. Fasolo it was inaugurated in in 1942, and is the most
elegant of Romes modern bridges. Named after the Duke Emanuele
Filiberto of Savoia-Aosta, brave veteran of the first World
War.
It is 220 mts. long and
30 mts. wide, it links the suburb Flaminio to the Foro Italico
(Forum), the heart of Rome’s sporting events, where
the city’s two main stadiums are located; The Olympic
stadium and the Stadium dei Marmi.
PONTE MATTEOTTI
- MATTEOTTI BRIDGE
Built during the fascist
period, designed by the architect Antonelli, it is 133.50
mts. long and 20 mts. wide with three arches and two holes.
It was constructed in tufa and covered in bricks traditonally
used by ancient Romans. When the facsist period ended, the
bridge was dedicated to Giacomo Matteotti, the socialist
party representative who was assassinated in 1924 near the
bridge, where a modern sculpture has been placed in his
memory.
PONTE MILVIO
- MILVIO BRIDGE
The origins of this ancient
bridge are somewhat uncertain, leading character and witness
of a number of important historical events.
According to a number of
sources, it was built by the censor Emilio Scauro in year
109 a.c. in the vicinity of the more ancient wooden bridge;
Ponte-Mollo (Mollo Bridge), which still exsists today.
Situated at the intersection
of majior (consular) roads; Flaminia, Cassia, Clodia, and
Veientana, Milvio Bridge played a strategic role, as the
large defense tower situated on the right bank suggests.
In Republican Rome, near
the Milvio Bridge, a battle took place between the troops
of Catullo and Pompeo. Many centuries later, in 312 a.c.,
Costantines army fought, at Saxa Rubra, with that of Massenzio,
in the battle which was to mark the triumph of christianity.
For the above service, a
booking is required.
Send an email, we will be
pleased to give you prices and further information.
Or call us on; 00-39-063230166
- 00-39-063213668
Cell. 347/7568637 - 339/6109753
Fax: 00.39- 063221484
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