Ponte Umberto I, also known as Ponte Umberto, is a

bridge A bridge is a structure built to Span (engineering), span a physical obstacle (such as a body of water, valley, road, or railway) without blocking the path underneath. It is constructed for the purpose of providing passage over the obstacle, whi ...

that links Piazza di Ponte Umberto I to Piazza dei Tribunali in

Rome Rome (Italian language, Italian and , ) is the capital city and most populated (municipality) of Italy. It is also the administrative centre of the Lazio Regions of Italy, region and of the Metropolitan City of Rome. A special named with 2, ...

(

Italy Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...

), in the rioni Ponte and

Prati Prati is the 22nd of Rome, Italy, identified by the initials R. XXII. It belongs to the Municipio I since 2013, while previously, along with Borgo and Trionfale and Della Vittoria, it was part of the Municipio XVII. Its coat of arms de ...

Description

The bridge was designed by architect Angelo Vescovali and built between 1885 and 1895; it was dedicated to Umberto I,

King of Italy King is a royal title given to a male monarch. A king is an absolute monarch if he holds unrestricted governmental power or exercises full sovereignty over a nation. Conversely, he is a constitutional monarch if his power is restrained by ...

, who inaugurated the bridge together with his consort

Margherita of Savoy Margherita of Savoy (''Margherita Maria Teresa Giovanna''; 20 November 1851 – 4 January 1926) was List of Italian royal consorts, Queen of Italy by marriage to her first cousin King Umberto I of Italy. She was the daughter of Prince Ferdinand ...

. The bridge links the Palace of Justice (popularly known as ''Palazzaccio'') to the area surrounding

Piazza Navona Piazza Navona () is a public open space in Rome, Italy. It is built on the site of the 1st century AD Stadium of Domitian and follows the form of the open space of the stadium in an elongated oval. The ancient Romans went there to watch the '' a ...

. It is made of three masonry arches covered with

travertine Travertine ( ) is a form of terrestrial limestone deposited around mineral springs, especially hot springs. It often has a fibrous or concentric appearance and exists in white, tan, cream-colored, and rusty varieties. It is formed by a process ...

and stone of Subiaco and is about 105 m (344 ft) long. The bridge carries a road with 2 lanes in each direction. Unusually for a road in Italy, this road drives on the left. ( Ponte Palatino also has left hand side traffic.) To prevent collisions, there is a raised section with a fence in the middle of the road.

Notes

Bibliography

* * 1895 establishments in Italy Bridges in Rome R. V Ponte Bridges in Rome R. XXII Prati Bridges completed in 1895 Road bridges in Italy Umberto I of Italy {{Italy-bridge-struct-stub