Walking around Rome. Bridges and the embankment of the Tiber. Tiber river: historical significance and magnificent bridges Bridges of Rome

The Tiber River on the world map does not stand out much in comparison with other waterways, but in Italy it takes the third place in length. It goes around all seven hills of Rome and, as it were, outlines the entire Trastevere area. The mighty Tiber makes the Eternal City even more beautiful and monumental with its famous architectural monuments that surround the shores of the reservoir.

History and legends

The source of the river is located in the mountains of the Apennine region. The name of the river, Tiber, is most often associated with Latin origin, and it is associated with the ancient city of Tivoli, which is located 30 km from the capital.

There is also a brighter legend of the origin of the name of the river, along which in the 900s BC. e. the great king Tiberinus lived and was drowned in the ancient reservoir of Albule. After death, this king, at the request of the god Jupiter, became the keeper of the waters, and the river in which he was drowned was renamed in his honor. Many Italians are sure that it was because of this legend that all ancient sculptors depicted the seas and oceans in the form of strong men, whose beards represent streams of water.

The Tiber is the very river along which Rem and Romulus traveled in a basket in their infancy, until their kind of "ship" washed ashore at the foot of the Palatine Hill. When the brothers grew up, they founded the city of Rome, the first settlements of which were based on east side rivers.

For the ancient Romans, the Tiber played a vital role, there were three main purposes:

Used as the main component of the city's sewerage system.
The river was crossed by warships participating in the significant battles for Sicily against Carthage.
The Tiber River in Rome served as a trade route through which food and building materials were imported by ships.

Due to the fact that over time the bottom of the reservoir got littered and it became almost impossible for ships to sail through it, navigation stopped. Numerous attempts to clear the river bed were unsuccessful, and in the 20th century, from a port city, Rome was transformed into an automobile city.

High embankments were built along the Tiber; they were erected in the 19th century as barriers in the path of a strong current, which occurs during floods and during the rainy season, in order to protect the capital from floods.

Bridges

The left and right banks of the Tiber are connected by 26 bridges. There are both new and well-preserved ancient structures.

The monumental old-timers include:

Mulviev bridge, built in the 1st century BC. It connects Rimini and the Flamieva road. On it in the 4th century. n. e. fought emperors Constantine I the Great and Maxentius. At the heart of their fight were different religious views, each of them wanted to prove that his beliefs were dominant. As a result of a fierce battle, Constantine defeated Maxentius and threw him directly into the Tiber, after which Christianity began to spread in Italy. Now there is the Olympic Stadium next to the Mulviev Bridge, it is active and meets the players and spectators of the football clubs "Roma" and "Lazio";
Holy Angel Bridge was erected in the 2nd century AD, it can only be walked on, vehicles cannot be driven through this crossing. Initially, the building was named after the Emperor Hadrian, who initiated its construction. At the other end of this bridge was built, which in the Middle Ages was called the Castle of the Holy Angel, as the bridge was later renamed. The huge stone castle now houses the remains of many Christian pontiffs, as well as various artifacts. In the 16th century, after the reconstruction of the building, it was faced with marble and decorated with statues of St. Peter and Paul. Then, in the 17th century, the famous Lorenzo Bernini added 10 more statues to them;
is a pedestrian crossing that connects the right bank of the Tiber with. It is made of stone in honor of Pope Sixtus IV; in an ensemble with an old embankment, this bridge looks very picturesque. In warm weather, tents with different delicacies for residents and guests of the capital are set up on the embankment near this building.

Bridges over the Tiber used to be of strategic importance, a certain person was responsible for their condition, and not, as now, entire companies. In honor of one of the chiefs of the bridges, a crossing was named, connecting (from the height of a fisherman similar to a boat) with the eastern part of the city. It was built in the 60s. BC. and is called the Fabricho Bridge. In addition to the above crossings, there are also other more modern ones, and the very first stone structure, erected in 142 years. AD is the bridge Emilia, now you can see only its remnants, which are known as the "Ruined Bridge".

The Tiber, before reaching Rome, makes its way through Lazio and Umbria. Smaller rivers flow into it: Aniene and Nera, when approaching the capital, concrete and stone fortifications are installed along the banks of the river, the reservoir passes into the Fossa Traiani canal. The mouth of the river is located in the Tyrrhenian Sea, the total length of the water pride of Rome is 406 km, its area is 17.4 thousand km 2. This reservoir is the main artery for the water supply of the entire capital.

The city has numerous tunnels and pipes, through which clean water is transmitted.

Among the interesting historical and modern facts for tourists are the following:

at the source of the Tiber under the leadership of Benito Mussolini in 1930, a marble column was erected, on which are written words expressing the importance of the reservoir in question for the capital, their approximate translation from Latin reads: "Here is the birthplace of a river sacred to the fate of Rome";
in ancient times, the Tiber was used for public executions, criminals were drowned in it to the cheers of the audience;
since the days of religious confrontation, the expression "to cross the Tiber" means to accept Catholicism;
on the first day, desperate Romans arrange ice bathing, jumping into the Tiber from the Cavour Bridge, their courage is always rejoiced by numerous spectators.

Today, the Tiber is as picturesque as it was many years ago, and locals successfully decorate its shores with their artwork, which any tourist can buy. He can be invited for an exciting walk along the water surface of the reservoir, as well as treated to live fish caught by local fishermen.

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The chapter "Bridges" of the subsection "Architecture of the Roman Empire" of the section "Architecture of Ancient Rome" from the book "General history of architecture. Volume II. Architecture the ancient world (Greece and Rome) "edited by B.P. Mikhailova.

Similar problems and similar methods of solution are observed in Roman bridge construction. Despite the differences between the conventional transport bridge and the bridge designed for the aqueduct channel across the river, there were many similarities between them, which allows us to consider their evolution together. The most interesting of the road bridges during the early empire was the bridge at Arimina, which crosses the river at an angle. Its construction was begun under Augustus and completed during the reign of Tiberius (14-20 AD). This bridge has been well preserved to this day (Fig. 159).

Its carriageway rests on five low arches with a span of 8-9 m. Light ramps over the extreme arches end the horizontal line of the middle part of the bridge. On the abutments, the field of the wall is decorated with sandriks with niches, which are framed by flatly protruding Corinthian pilasters. The vaults of the bridge are approximately equal in depth to the span of the arches; the heels of the arches, as in other Roman bridges, are at water level. The abutments of the bridge, which are more massive than usual, constituting here about 1/2 of the arch's span, emphasize, together with the cornice and sandrids, the scale and power of the structure.

The bridge at Arimina is close to two bridges built in Spain - the bridge at Augusta Emerit and the bridge at Alconeta. Like all bridges built across flat rivers, their composition develops horizontally. The bridge at August Emerit had a pronounced compositional center, marked by a larger arch of the central span (Fig. 160). Its supports are lightened by small arches, as in the Roman bridges of the republican period. A special feature of the bridge at Alconeta is the use of a segmented arch, which is not very common in Roman architecture.



160. Augusta Emerita (Merida, Spain). Bridge, II century. AD Fragment and general view	161. Bridge Alcantara (Spain). 98-106 years Fragment and scheme of building a bridge

An example of a bridge built on a mountain river, the level of which can change dramatically, is the Alcantara Bridge over the Tag River (modern Tahoe) in Spain, built in 98-106. It shows the development of the composition of this type of structures not only horizontally, but also vertically (Fig. 161).

The roadway of the bridge about 200 m long and about 8 m wide is above the water at a great height - 45 m.The architecture of the bridge clearly shows the Roman traditions of the late Republican era, when the central pillar stood out as the center of the composition and the composition unfolded harmoniously on both sides of it. The symmetry of the composition is emphasized by the increasing size of the arched spans towards the middle, as well as by the setting of the triumphal arch above the middle pylon. The steep banks and the height of the roadbed suggested a compositional solution, which was quite logical given the horizontal top line of the bridge and the general level of the arches. The spans of the arches decrease towards the ends of the bridge due to the relief of the banks. The heels of adjacent arches on the same pillar were thus located at different levels, and all pillars, except for the middle one, turned out to be asymmetrical. This asymmetry is less conspicuous due to the introduction of buttresses on the bridge supports, emphasizing the vertical element in the overall composition. The size of the arches showed (in contrast to other Roman bridges, where the increase in the size of the spans to the center proceeded in an arithmetic progression) that here we have a more subtle pattern of rhythmic growth, which determines the completeness and plasticity of this remarkable monument *.

* The composition of the entire bridge is based on the law of harmonious decrease in spans according to the division of a semicircle, built on a diameter equal to the length of the bridge (centered on the axis of the middle support), into eight equal arcs, 22.5 ° each. By projecting these divisions into the diameter (length of the roadway of the bridge), we obtain the axes of nine pillars corresponding in orthogonal projection to the axes of the pillars with a circular shape of arcades with equal spans.

One of the most interesting Roman bridges is the Elia Bridge, built in 134 AD, which led the road from the Champ de Mars to the mausoleum of Hadrian located on the other bank of the Tiber (Fig. 162). The bridge consisted of seven spans: three large in the middle of the bridge and four small (two at each end). Reproducing in a somewhat complicated form the scheme of the bridge in Arimina, the Elia bridge also gives the impression of heaviness and monumentality, but the main laws of its artistic construction are determined not so much by its utilitarian purpose as by its place in the urban ensemble. Thus, although the bridge was built during the heyday of Roman bridge building, the spans of its central arches are smaller than the spans of a number of bridges built earlier. Since the bridge was part of the complex of Hadrian's mausoleum, being its threshold, too much, the arches of the spans were inappropriate, because they would give the appearance of the bridge lightness and grace, too sharply contrasted with the monolithic mass of the mausoleum. In the plan, the bridge is located so that its axis is oriented towards the center of the mausoleum, which closes the perspective of the bridge. The same purpose - to connect the bridge with the mausoleum - is also served by the considerable width of the bridge (11 m), which is greater than that of ordinary Roman bridges, moreover, increased by powerful buttresses.



162. Rome. Elia Bridge, 134 AD View of the bridge in the engraving of Piranesi; pavement of the ancient road near the Elia bridge

Among the most remarkable engineering structures of the II century. AD the so-called Garda bridge in Southern France, which is part of the aqueduct that supplied the city of Nemaus with water. It is a mighty arcade carrying an aqueduct over the valley of the Gar River (Fig. 163, 164). Since at the grandiose height of the monument (48, 75 m) flood waters did not threaten it, it was possible to create a multi-tiered large-span arcade here, which was avoided on mountain rivers so as not to create obstacles to the passage of water at its high level.

When designing such a bridge, other compositional schemes were possible in addition to the one implemented, but the author of this work chose the scheme of a three-tier arcade, in which he tried to make the large spans of the arches of the two lower tiers equal in height and end them at the top with a low arcade, akin to the neighboring arcade on the track.

In this scheme, horizontality and scale are revealed to the greatest extent, which together constitute the main artistic features of the structure. Dynamic rhythm plays a huge role in the creation of the artistic image of the Garda Bridge. The arcade, outlined from above by the horizontal line of the water supply canal and crossing the river valley, already due to natural conditions, receives a rhythmic structure: its middle part, the highest, acquires the value of a compositional center, and the side ones disappear, serving as the completion of the developed composition.

In the three-tiered Gardsky bridge, the main role in the composition of the structure belongs to the middle arcade. The low upper arcade with its stereotypical arches, in the size of the spans comparable to the pillars, plays the role of an attic in the composition. The lower arcade, due to the conditions of the relief, is almost invisible (with the exception of the center) and repeating the middle one in reduced horizontally dimensions, also cannot clearly express the idea of \u200b\u200bthe structure compositionally. Therefore, a more important role belongs to the middle arcade, which defines the entire image of the grandiose structure.

The holistic rhythmic composition of the arcade and the successful choice of proportions that connected together not only the different-sized arches of one arcade, but all three tiers of the Garda Bridge, determined the success of the architect who created this unique structure.

One might think that when developing the project, a three-part scheme typical of Roman architecture with a clearly pronounced gradual increase towards the center of the composition was taken as a basis. With symmetrically sloping river banks, it would look like this:

А2-А2-А2-А1-А1-А1-А-А1-А1-А1-А2-А2-А2 *.

* A - arch with a span of 24.5 m; A1 - also, 19.5 m; A2 - the same, 15.5 m.

However, the complex relief of the banks, steeper on the north side, required a modification of this simple scheme. The change was carried out not only by adapting to the relief, but also by somewhat complicating the composition itself by introducing the principle of the "golden section" and moving the center of the composition closer to the northern coast. In the final form, the diagram looks like this:

(b-A1-A1-A1-A) / 0.382 - (A1-A1-A1-A2-A2-A2) / 0.618 *

* An arch almost hidden by the terrain at the junction of the arcade with the aqueduct.

The different relief of the banks and the displacement of the river bed to the north relative to the middle axis of the valley suggested to the architect this way of transforming elementary symmetry into a rhythmic whole.

In the proportioning method, the most important element is the choice of the original size. If in the Aqua Marcia arcade it was the width of the canal, then in the more complex Garda Bridge, where a much larger number of different-sized elements were combined, the choice of the initial size was immeasurably more difficult. The architect of the Garda Bridge showed great wit in choosing the height of the arch wedge (1.55 m) as a module. It was the most standard structural element and best suited for this purpose. All other sizes were counted from him. So, the thickness of the Garda Bridge on top (the width of the channel together with the walls) is equal to two heights of the wedges. The width of the arch of the bridge in the lower tiers consists of three and four adjacent arches, i.e. in turn, they are multiples of the original size. The dimensions of other elements of the structure are multiples of the module: the thickness of the pillars is 3 modules, the span of the main arch is 16 modules, the spans of the two smaller arches are 12.5 m and 10 modules. The height dimensions were obtained, apparently, in a geometrical way, being derivatives of the "golden ratio", although here, to achieve multiplicity, it is necessary to divide the module into quarters. The height of the upper tier is 4.75 m, the height of the middle tier is 12.5 m, the height of the pillar is 4.75 m, the height of the tympanum is 7.75 m.

Complex digital relationships also determine the growth dynamics of arched spans along the length of the bridge. There is no simpler growth pattern, which is found, for example, in the bridge in Alconeta across the river. Tahoe is an arithmetic progression in which the next element is formed by a constant difference. In the Gardi Bridge, the difference is not constant, it changes, forming the following row: 15.5 m - 19.5 m - 24.5 m.

Between the first and second elements, it is 4 m, and between the second and third - 5 m. Here, the pattern is also determined by the "golden ratio":

24.5 / 19.5 = 19.5 / 15.5 = 1,258 .

When choosing proportional relations between the vertical articulations of the bridge, as well as between its vertical articulations, on the one hand, and horizontal articulations, on the other, the fragment of the facade that occurs the greatest number of times was taken as the basis, i.e. the average span is 19.5 m. This span has become a "typical" span, on the basis of which the entire further system of the bridge's proportions, built on the “golden section”, has been developed.

The upper small arcade consists of roughly identical arches. Every third pillar of the small arcade (with the exception of the segment above the middle and above the leftmost arch) stands on the axis of the pillar of the lower arcade.

Of the architectural details in the Garda Bridge, only single jib rods were used, and the weighting and increase in the size of the profiles from top to bottom was carried out: the size of the lower one reaches 60 cm, which gives the monument a particularly enlarged scale and strengthens the impression of its grandeur. The craftsmanship of masonry has reached an unprecedented level here. The same is true for all the technical challenges faced by the builder in the construction of this grandiose monument.

The Garda Bridge is one of the most striking pieces of Roman architecture. It achieves an organic expression of functional validity in an artistic form. The powerful, laconic and at the same time light image of this structure can serve as a symbol of the engineering art of Rome.

Many structures built by Roman builders and engineers have survived to this day. Among them are sections of roads, ancient aqueducts - aqueducts, as well as bridges over rivers and mountain gorges.

A prime example is the bridge over the Tagus River called Alcantara. This bridge was built between 98 and 106 AD. The length of its roadway is about two hundred meters, and the height above the surface of the river is 105 meters.

This structure has been perfectly preserved to this day, which is characterized by extreme strength and reliability. Travelers on the bridge may experience a sense of fear only from a great height.

Also serves nowadays a bridge built by the Romans in the French town of Saint - Chama across the Tulbourg River. The only span of this bridge is about 9 meters long. Pedestrians still use a large bridge from Roman times that was thrown across the Garde River in southern France.

However, these are not the most big bridgesbuilt by Roman engineers primarily for military purposes. To this day, unfortunately, many bridges have not survived, which became known from their descriptions in the works of historians and preserved images.

A huge structure was the bridge across the Danube River, which was located near the modern city of Turnu - Severin. It was built in 104 - 105 AD during the war of the Roman emperor Trajan with the Dacians.

The name of the engineer who designed this bridge is also known -. It was the Greek Apollodorus of Damascus. The length of this grandiose structure was 1070 meters, and it stood on twenty mighty foundations - bulls, which have survived to this day. The height of each support reaches 44 meters and the thickness is 18 meters.

To be honest, at first we were not going to devote a separate story to Roman bridges, we just wanted to insert them into the corresponding walks. But then, in the bowels of the home library, the third issue of the journal "Architecture of the USSR" for 1938 was found (this is not a typo - the year is really 1938) with an article by the Soviet engineer and architect Ivan Sergeevich Nikolaev (1901-1979) "The Bridge and the City". The article was about old bridges Western Europe, and we, without further ado, decided to give the floor to a specialist, having published here that part of the article, which deals with the ancient bridges of Rome. The text is published without changes, we only partially corrected the old spelling, bringing it in line with the existing norms.

So, the text is Ivan Nikolaev, the photos are ours, short comments in square brackets - also ours.

... "Even in ancient Rome, stone bridge building began only in the 2nd century BC. Until that time, bridges were either entirely made of wood or had wooden spans and stone supports.

It is interesting to note the connection between the construction of city bridges in Rome and the need to increase the city's defenses during the time of the Republic.

The first bridge over the Tiber in Rome was made of wood (Pons sublicius). According to legend, he did not have a single metal part. The national hero Horace Kokles fought on it. Blocking the path of Porsenna's army, which besieged Rome in 500 BC. e., he thereby gave the Romans the opportunity to destroy the bridge behind his back and deprive the enemy of the means of crossing. Subsequently, when Hannibal in 217 BC. e. almost approached the Roman walls, bridges over the Tiber were also destroyed.

And these bridges were also wooden, not because the level of technical knowledge did not make it possible to switch to stone bridge building, but mainly because wooden bridges were easier to destroy if necessary.

Until the safety of the city was finally ensured, stone bridges were not built. 20 years after the second Punic War, in 181 BC. e. near where the "Pons sublicius" once stood, a new wooden bridge on stone supports - the so-called "Senators Bridge". Only after the final victory of Rome in the third Punic War, when the hated Carthage was destroyed to the ground, they began to build the first entirely stone bridge (142 BC). [The article deals with the Ponte Rotto bridge, its remains are best viewed from the modern Ponte Palatino bridge]

The quality of this building can be judged by the fact that the bridge stood for 1700 years, until it was thoroughly restored in 1575. In its restored form, it stood for 23 years and collapsed during a flood in 1598. During the restoration of the bridge, the architect Matteo di Castello cared more about its sculptural design and did not overlook the fact that the contractor who performed the stone work replaced the antique stone with quarrystone. Almost before the death of Michelangelo, this great master was entrusted with the reconstruction of the bridge, but soon the order was selected for the alleged reason that Michelangelo wasted too much stone. Hence, it is clear that Michelangelo, as an experienced builder, was aware of the need for large costs to repair the bridge, which had stood for more than one and a half millennia.

Of the five arched spans of this bridge, one span has survived to this day. The outline of the arch is a semicircle, span of 24.4 m. The abutment, 7.92 m wide, is lightened by a niche corresponding to the antique unloading arch, which was a feature of the Roman bridges of the republican period. The reliefs on the cheek walls of the bridge date back to the Renaissance; the original design of the bridge was more modest.

The ruins of this bridge gave rise to its modern name "Ponte Rotto" ("destroyed bridge").

The next structures in time were two bridges connecting the Tiber Island with both banks - the left one along the river is called the Fabrice Bridge, the right one - the Cestius Bridge. Both bridges were built in 69 - 57 years. BC e., i.e. coincide with the beginning of the activities of Julius Caesar. By this time, external enemies were completely neutralized and did not threaten Rome. The internal enemy, Spartacus with his army of slaves 3 years earlier was also destroyed.

Earlier, the Fabrice Bridge was built, connecting the island of the Tiber with the left side of the city. The Janicul's right side of the city was not yet built up at that time. This explains the fact that the Fabrice Bridge was built earlier than the Cestia Bridge and received a richer and more elegant design.

The Fabrice Bridge, perfectly preserved to this day, has two large circular arches of 24.5 m and 24.25 m and a middle pillar with a small arch with a span of 6 m. Five arches are slightly raised above the center, as a result of which it appears slightly segmental. The stones in the arches were infused artistically, thanks to which the bridge stood for two millennia, despite severe floods and earthquakes. (footnote at the bottom of the page: "It should be noted that, despite the widespread use of concrete in arches and vaults of civil buildings, the Romans in bridge building resorted with very rare exceptions, only to square masonry without mortar. You can really imagine the art of attaching travertine wedges, if you take into account that the surface of the bed was from 1.5 x 1 to 1.5 x 9 m in each of the wedges, the number of which in each arch along the facade reached 60. The slightest bulge would lead here to uneven stress and cause cracks and subsequent destruction. ")

However, in addition to striving for strength, already in these early bridges of the times of the Republic, the attitude of the Romans towards the bridge as an element of the urban ensemble was manifested. This becomes especially clear when analyzing the composition of the Fabrice Bridge. Here, the architect's desire to connect the overall composition with proportions and detail is obvious. The ratio of the large arch to the small arch is 4: 1, the middle support to the span is 1: 2, the height of the pilasters to the span is 1: 1, the width of the bridge to the large arch is 4: 1. The upper line of the bridge (roadway and parapet) is horizontal, on the middle section, from the middle of large spans, it slightly drops to the coast. The profiling of the rods and pilasters is original and bold according to the pattern (the strongly extended heel carries the shelf).

The Cestius Bridge was partially rebuilt at the end of the 19th century in connection with the cleaning of the Tiber bed. Initially, it had a middle arch of 22.5 m and two extreme ones of 5.6 m each. In terms of strength, it is not inferior to the Fabrice bridge, but it is made more rough, although, apparently, in compliance with the same principles as the Fabrice bridge.

Typical of all these three bridges (bridges: Senatorov, Fabrice, Cestia) are foundations that independently take the load from each span, thanks to the presence of an unloading arch. Although the device of the latter is explained by the need to create additional sections for the flood, the main thing was different, namely, in the desire to isolate one span from another, in order to be able to destroy one span on occasion and preserve part of the bridge. This subordination of the architecture of the bridge to the requirements of the city's defense was characteristic of the republican time, when Rome was repeatedly endangered. However, the builder of the bridge was also aware of the compositional significance of the arch as an architectural theme and interpreted it on two contrasting scales. This is evident from the fact that both the Fabrice bridge and the Cestius bridge had small arches already within the coastal abutments, at the very edges. They did not have a utilitarian purpose and were therefore subsequently built up, which is why the architecture of these bridges lost a lot.

Having created the bridges of Cestius and Fabrice, connected architecturally with the island and the embankment, the Romans showed themselves to be the creators of the ensemble, and in this respect the masters of the Renaissance were their students.

During the imperial period, the Romans also always sought to link the bridge with architectural ensemble cities. Hadrian's Bridge [here we are talking about St. Angela], which served as an approach to the mausoleum of Hadrian (now the castle of St. Angela), dates back to the heyday of Roman bridge building. The ratios and proportions are complicated here and are not so clearly subordinated to multiplicity. The arches are equipped with archivolts, the breaks are exquisite, the sculpture is introduced. The bridge, connected by the upper line with the banks, is not high, which is why the spans are comparatively smaller (18 m). There is no unloading arch on the supports, the support is more heavily framed and expresses its essence more monumental.

This bridge, built almost simultaneously with Hadrian's mausoleum in 136 AD. e., was not intended for urban traffic and had a purely memorial purpose together with the mausoleum. nevertheless, it is wider than all other bridges (its width is 11 m), which is explained by the fact that processions passed along it, as well as the desire of the builder to give a predominance of horizontal in the section of the bridge, since it is an approach to the tombstone.

We must pay tribute to the builder of this bridge: the bridge is monumental and organically linked to the mausoleum. Here, complete mastery of the technique is quite obvious, which allows, without belittling the art of engineering, to put it at the service of an architectural idea.

Palladio, and before him Alberti, claimed that Hadrian's Bridge had a coating in ancient times. Alberti even indicates the number of marble columns, namely 42, on which lay the architrave and the bronze covering with wonderful decoration, the remains of which he "contemplated with awe."

It was Alberti who was commissioned by Pope Nicholas V to restore the gallery on the bridge after the disaster of 1450. This year, a festive procession of pilgrims that followed the Pope on a donkey (a procession on a "donkey") filled the bridge and, pushing against the parapet, overturned it, as a result of which 150 people drowned in the Tiber.

Alberti could "contemplate" the remains of the Roman galleries of the bridge, apparently, only during the subsequent solid reconstruction work. But Alberti did not say a single word about them, although his work was written in the same years. (footnote at the bottom of the page: "This is due to the fact that Alberti dedicated his work and read it to Pope Nicholas V, with whom this story happened, about which it was better to remain silent.") At the same time Alberti was involved in the work of A. Rossellino, who performed a new parapet and built two, later destroyed, chapels at the entrance to the bridge. (link at the bottom of the page: "The modern statues that adorn the bridge belong to Bernini and his students. Personally, Bernini owns an angel with a cross.") [Modern sources say that Bernini is the author of two angels: with a cross and with a tablet]

Returning again to ancient Rome, we will mention that along with the four bridges listed: Senators, Fabrice, Cestius, Hadrian, the city had several more bridges, namely: the bridge of Nero, or the Triumphal bridge, decorated most richly, but not preserved, the bridge of Aurelius - now Ponte Sisto, subsequently overhauled by Pope Sixtus, the bridge of the emperor Probus and the bridge of Agrippa (the last two bridges have not survived either). Apart from the republican bridge Milvia, which was a few kilometers from the city, Rome during the imperial period had no less than 8 bridges across the Tiber, which was, of course, a luxury for its time. Thus, the river first entered as an organic part of the city into its ensemble. "...

I have already told about Tiberina Island, but suddenly I came across an interesting legend about one of the bridges leading to it.

I really love Roman bridges - like bridges in general, that's why I was interested in the question - what is the oldest bridge in Rome?

Officially, the information calls the Milvio bridge, which existed as far back as 200 BC,

or the Publicio Bridge, dating from 600 BC,

but in general, these bridges have come down to us in an already changed, rebuilt form, they have changed several times over the course of many centuries.

The Milvio Bridge, for example, was partially destroyed in 1849 to obstruct the advance of French troops.

So we got to the Fabrice Bridge - connecting the embankment with the island of Tiberina, according to some evidence this bridge is more than two thousand years old. Of the bridges that have survived in Rome in the least modified form, it is the oldest not only in The eternal city, but, as they say, possibly in the world.

The bridge got its name in honor of Lucio Fabricio, the Roman bridge guardian, whose name can still be seen on the bridge's arcade.

In those early days, there were few bridges and crossing the Tiber was sometimes a cruel test. Therefore, bridge management is construction. Maintaining them in a "workable" form was a task of particular strategic importance. And the people involved in this business were in Ancient Rome famous personalities.

There is even an interpretation of the name of the Pope - Pontiff - from the word Pontefice - that is, "bridge builder."

The Fabrice Bridge is also called the “Bridge of the Four Heads”, and a Roman legend is associated with this.

At the end of 1550, when Pope Sixtus decided to rebuild the Fabrice Bridge, he commissioned four architects to do so. But the architects could not come to an agreement with each other - they argued, swore, it came to a big scandal. Papa Sist was a tough comrade - there are cases when his "heavy hand" was fully manifested. So here, too, he "took action" - patiently waiting for the disagreement between the architects to end, he did not wait for this, and ordered them to be executed right on the bridge. And in order to supervise others, the Pope ordered to install two sculptures on the bridge that depict four architects - each Of the 4 heads that make up a single statue, it is irritably turned to the rest - so the architects, muddled in disputes and scandals, are forced to share the same place forever.