Ponte Salario
Encyclopedia
The Ponte Salario, also called Ponte Salaro during the Middle Ages
, is a road bridge in Rome
, Italy
, whose origins date back to the Roman period
. In antiquity
, it lay outside the city limits, 3 km north of the Porta Collina
, at the point where the Via Salaria
(modern SS4) crossed the Aniene
, a tributary of the Tiber
. The visible side arches are assumed to originate from the first stone structure built between the end of the 2nd and first half of the 1st century BC.
In the Gothic War (535–554), the main arch was largely destroyed by the Ostrogothic king Totila
, but repaired by his East Roman opponent Narses
in 565, who recorded the extensive restoration works, including a river diversion, in an extant bridge inscription. At that time, the Ponte Salario was 72 m long and 6.52 m wide, with its semi-circular arch reaching a remarkable clear span of 24.86 m.
The large bridge tower was possibly erected in the 8th century, allowing more effective control of the passage. In 1798, the Ponte Salario, which had been hitherto well-preserved due to repeated repairs, was battered by Napoleonic
troops, who tore down the balustrade, including the ancient inscription. In 1829, the medieval tower was demolished, and in 1849 the bridge was cut on a length of 15 m by French
soldiers. In 1867, the bridge once for all lost its historical character, when papal
troops blew up the central arch. The Ponte Salario was reconstructed in its current form in 1874, with the roadway widened in 1930.
Apart from the Ponte Salario, there were other fortified bridges across the Aniene, such as the extant Ponte Nomentano
, the Ponte Mammolo (both of Roman origin) and the medieval Ponte di San Francesco
in Subiaco
.
Middle Ages
The Middle Ages is a periodization of European history from the 5th century to the 15th century. The Middle Ages follows the fall of the Western Roman Empire in 476 and precedes the Early Modern Era. It is the middle period of a three-period division of Western history: Classic, Medieval and Modern...
, is a road bridge in Rome
Rome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
, Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
, whose origins date back to the Roman period
Roman Empire
The Roman Empire was the post-Republican period of the ancient Roman civilization, characterised by an autocratic form of government and large territorial holdings in Europe and around the Mediterranean....
. In antiquity
Classical antiquity
Classical antiquity is a broad term for a long period of cultural history centered on the Mediterranean Sea, comprising the interlocking civilizations of ancient Greece and ancient Rome, collectively known as the Greco-Roman world...
, it lay outside the city limits, 3 km north of the Porta Collina
Porta Collina
The Colline Gate was a landmark in ancient Rome, supposed to have been built by Servius Tullius, semi-legendary king of Rome 578–535 BC. The gate stood at the north end of the Servian Wall, and past it were two important streets, the Via Salaria and Via Nomentana. Within this area the Alta Semita...
, at the point where the Via Salaria
Via Salaria
The Via Salaria was an ancient Roman road in Italy.It eventually ran from Rome to Castrum Truentinum on the Adriatic coast - a distance of 242 km. The road also passed through Reate and Asculum...
(modern SS4) crossed the Aniene
Aniene
-External links:* http://www.humnet.ucla.edu/humnet/horaces-villa/glossary/Anio.gloss.html*...
, a tributary of the Tiber
Tiber
The Tiber is the third-longest river in Italy, rising in the Apennine Mountains in Emilia-Romagna and flowing through Umbria and Lazio to the Tyrrhenian Sea. It drains a basin estimated at...
. The visible side arches are assumed to originate from the first stone structure built between the end of the 2nd and first half of the 1st century BC.
In the Gothic War (535–554), the main arch was largely destroyed by the Ostrogothic king Totila
Totila
Totila, original name Baduila was King of the Ostrogoths from 541 to 552 AD. A skilled military and political leader, Totila reversed the tide of Gothic War, recovering by 543 almost all the territories in Italy that the Eastern Roman Empire had captured from his Kingdom in 540.A relative of...
, but repaired by his East Roman opponent Narses
Narses
Narses was, with Belisarius, one of the great generals in the service of the Byzantine Emperor Justinian I during the "Reconquest" that took place during Justinian's reign....
in 565, who recorded the extensive restoration works, including a river diversion, in an extant bridge inscription. At that time, the Ponte Salario was 72 m long and 6.52 m wide, with its semi-circular arch reaching a remarkable clear span of 24.86 m.
The large bridge tower was possibly erected in the 8th century, allowing more effective control of the passage. In 1798, the Ponte Salario, which had been hitherto well-preserved due to repeated repairs, was battered by Napoleonic
Napoleon I of France
Napoleon Bonaparte was a French military and political leader during the latter stages of the French Revolution.As Napoleon I, he was Emperor of the French from 1804 to 1815...
troops, who tore down the balustrade, including the ancient inscription. In 1829, the medieval tower was demolished, and in 1849 the bridge was cut on a length of 15 m by French
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
soldiers. In 1867, the bridge once for all lost its historical character, when papal
Papal States
The Papal State, State of the Church, or Pontifical States were among the major historical states of Italy from roughly the 6th century until the Italian peninsula was unified in 1861 by the Kingdom of Piedmont-Sardinia .The Papal States comprised territories under...
troops blew up the central arch. The Ponte Salario was reconstructed in its current form in 1874, with the roadway widened in 1930.
Apart from the Ponte Salario, there were other fortified bridges across the Aniene, such as the extant Ponte Nomentano
Ponte Nomentano
The Ponte Nomentano is a Roman bridge in Rome, Italy, which carried the Via Nomentana over the Aniene...
, the Ponte Mammolo (both of Roman origin) and the medieval Ponte di San Francesco
Ponte di San Francesco
The Ponte di San Francesco is a medieval segmental arch bridge over the Aniene in Subiaco, Lazio, Italy...
in Subiaco
Subiaco, Italy
Subiaco is a town and comune in the Province of Rome, in Lazio, Italy, from Tivoli alongside the river Aniene. It is mainly renowned as a tourist and religious resort for its sacred grotto , in the St. Benedict's Abbey, and the other Abbey of St. Scholastica...
.
External links
- Illustrated article at Romeartlover