Ponte Milvio
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Ponte Milvio (Italian for Milvian Bridge) or Ponte Molle is one of the most important bridges over the Tiber in Rome.
The bridge was built by consul Gaius Claudius Nero in 206 BC, after he had defeated the Carthaginan army in the Battle of the Metaurus. In 115 BC, consul Marcus Aemilius Scaurus built a new bridge made of stone in the same position, demolishing the old one. In 312, Constantine I defeated his stronger rival Maxentius between this bridge and Saxa Rubra, in the famous Battle of Milvian Bridge.
During the Middle Ages, the bridge was renovated by a monk named Acuzio, and in 1429 Pope Martin V asked a famous architect, Francesco da Genazzano, to repair the collapsing bridge. During the 18th and 19th centuries, the bridge was modified by two artists, Valadier and Pigiani.
In late 2006, the bridge began attracting couples, who use a lampost on the bridge to hang padlocks as a sign of their love. The ritual involves the couple locking the padlock to the lampost, then throwing the key behind them into the Tiber.
[edit] Further reading
- Colin O'Connor, Roman Bridges, Cambridge Univ. Press (1994) ISBN 0-521-39326-4
[edit] External links
- Structurae: Ponte Milvio - data
- Ritual draws sweethearts to Rome bridge article describing the padlock ritual
