Cities that lie on rivers always have bridges. Many are modern, some are ugly and others are beautiful and then old. Verona’s Ponte Scaligero is one of the most beautiful bridges we have seen so far.
The Ponte Scaligero (Scaligero Bridge) leads over the Adige River in Verona. The medieval bridge was built between 1354 and 1356 by Cangrande II della Scala. It was intended to serve as an escape route for the inhabitants of Castelvecchio.
For almost 5 centuries, the bridge remained undamaged despite several floods. In 1802, the French destroyed a tower, ground down most of the battlements or bricked them up. A few years later, the bridge was restored and reopened to the public.
In 1945 the German troops destroyed this beautiful building during their retreat. Fortunately, the Ponte Scaligero was rebuilt completely and true to the original. Only the one tower was not replaced.
The bridge is 133 metres long and over 7.55 metres wide. The segmental arches have a span of 24 metres, 27 metres and 48.7 metres.
We think that walking over this beautiful bridge is an essential part of a visit to Verona. Since it is only a pedestrian bridge, you can enjoy the view undisturbed. But enjoying the view is not that easy. As you can see in the picture, the edge with its battlements is very high. BUT…there is a small raised stone ledge along the whole bridge. You can walk along it and look.
Or you can use the ledges with the small wall openings and enjoy a beautiful side view of the bridge over the Adige.
We found the side opposite the Castell not so spectacular, the way back over the bridge is nicer!
Leave a Reply