Ponte Palatino, Rome

Ponte Palatino is the bridge before you, also known as Ponte Inglese, the English Bridge. It connects the Aventino and Ripa stretches of the river embankment, linking the Ripa and Trastevere districts. Angelo Vescovali designed it, and construction ran from 1886 to 1890.

The structure replaced the badly damaged Pons Aemilius, an ancient crossing whose surviving arch remains in the river beside this bridge. A flood destroyed an arch of that older bridge in 1598; Vescovali removed another during this project, leaving its fragment as a companion to the newer span. Ponte Palatino takes its name from the slopes of the Palatine Hill.

Its English nickname comes from the unusual arrangement of traffic here, which follows the British pattern for urban convenience. The long masonry bridge carries a metal deck across the water.