Ponte del Risorgimento, Rome

Ponte del Risorgimento is the bridge joining Piazzale delle Belle Arti with Piazza Monte Grappa, spanning the boundary between Flaminio and Della Vittoria. Notice the shallow sweep of its arch: it was an early Italian experiment in reinforced concrete, and its ambitious span drew international attention. Work began in nineteen oh nine and finished after a short building campaign; the bridge opened in May nineteen eleven during celebrations of Italian unification.

Engineer Giovanni Antonio Porcheddu created it with fellow engineers, using the Hennebique reinforced-concrete system. When the temporary supports came down, spectators feared the arch would fail. Porcheddu answered that anxiety by watching from a boat beneath it with his young children. The name honors the Risorgimento, Italy’s national-unification movement.