The bell tower and spire of the Church of San Tomaso Becket framed by a rebuilt Roman arch of the Ponte Pietra, the oldest bridge in Verona, Veneto, Italy. The former Pons Marmoreus used to carry the important Via Postumia Roman road. The Romans rebuilt the original structure in white stone, but in medieval times, it often collapsed. Retreating German forces blew up four of the Ponte Pietra’s five arches in 1945, but it was rebuilt in 1957-9 using hundreds of Roman stone blocks and medieval bricks salvaged from the bed of the fast-flowing River Adige.
Verona, Veneto, Italy: the campanile and spire of the Church of San Tomaso Becket framed by a rebuilt Roman arch of the Ponte della Pietra, which crosses the fast-flowing alpine River Adige with a (304 ft) span blending blocks of white Valpolicella stone with medieval and 16th century clay bricks salvaged from the riverbed. The first bridge here, probably of wood, pre-dated Verona becoming a Roman colony in 89 BC. From 148 BC it carried the Via Postumia, the Roman road linking Genoa in northern Italy’s far west to Aquileia in the far east. The bridge, then known as the Pons Marmoreus, also gave Verona’s citizens easy access to their theatre on the east bank. The Romans rebuilt the bridge in white stone, but it often failed to withstand the Adige in full spate, collapsing in 1007, 1153, 1232, 1239 and 1503. After a major rebuild in 1520, many wooden homes, shops and taverns accumulated on the structure, but these were cleared in the early 1800s after city leaders deemed them incompatible with the bridge’s ancient Roman grandeur. The Ponte Pietra (Stone Bridge) was devastated in the last days of World War II in Europe. On 25 April 1945, retreating German troops detonated mines to blow up four of the arches (including this one) with only the easternmost Roman arch surviving the blasts. The bridge was rebuilt from 1957-9 after hundreds of stone blocks were dredged up from the riverbed and re-used, mixed with new or reworked stone. Medieval brickwork was also recovered and re-used to rebuild the central Venetian arches and the medieval westernmost arch, previously rebuilt in 1298. The mid-16th century Church of San Tomaso Becket, also known as San Tomaso Cantuariense, stands in central Verona, near the modern Ponte Nuovo del Popolo. It was built by Carmelites to replace two 14th century churches, one dedicated to St Thomas Becket and the other to the Annunciation. The campanile, completed in 1400, houses 10 bells.
Size: 4256px × 2832px
Location: Verona, Veneto, Italy
Photo credit: © Terence Kerr / Alamy / Afripics
License: Royalty Free
Model Released: No
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