Rutted flagstones meet cobbles on the Ponte Romano, a single-arched bridge spanning the River Lys at Pont-Saint-Martin, Valle d'Aosta, Italy. It was built by the first Roman emperor, Augustus, as part of the Via delle Gallie, the consular road to Gaul. The bridge was later used by medieval Christian pilgrims following the Via Francigena from Canterbury, England, to Rome, and then onward to the harbours of Apulia in Italy’s far south.
Pont-Saint-Martin, Valle d'Aosta, Italy: flagstones grooved by ancient wheels meet cobbles on the footway of the Ponte Romano, the 1st century BC single arch bridge over the River Lys once used by the Roman legions and then centuries later trodden by medieval Christian pilgrims following the Via Francigena from Canterbury, England, to Rome. The bridge was built by the first Roman emperor, Augustus Caesar as part of the consular route to the ancient province of Gaul, now France. The people of Pont-Saint-Martin celebrate the Ponte Romano as the Ponte del Diavolo, or Devil’s Bridge, by holding an annual carnival. The name derives from a legend that the villagers did a deal with the devil, giving the devil the soul of the first human to cross the bridge in exchange for allowing the bridge to be built. However, once the bridge had been completed, St Martin tempted a rabid dog with a bone to be the first creature to cross it, rather than a human, thus cheating the devil of the soul he had been promised.
Size: 4256px × 2832px
Location: Ponte Romano or Devil’s Bridge, Pont-Saint-Martin, Valle d'Aosta, Italy.
Photo credit: © Terence Kerr / Alamy / Afripics
License: Royalty Free
Model Released: No
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