Ponte Pietra

Ponte Pietra is the Roman bridge of Verona, first built in 100 BCE and standing on two of its original arches. The Germans blew it up in 1945 and the city raised the stones from the river and rebuilt it as it was.

Overview

The two arches nearest the left bank are Roman, in white stone; the rest are medieval brick, and a sixteenth-century tower guards the end. The 1945 demolition destroyed everything but those Roman piers, and reconstruction ran from 1957 to 1959 using material dredged from the Adige, so that what stands is largely the original stone put back. From the bridge the Roman theatre climbs the hill directly opposite.

Highlights

Cross in the late afternoon, when the light is on the upstream face and the river runs green under it. Climb to Castel San Pietro on the far side, by the funicular or fifteen minutes of steps, for the view back over the bridge and the whole city. The Roman theatre beneath the castle still stages Shakespeare in summer.

Overview

Highlights

Location