A Tourist in Rome - Ponte Sisto

Location:41.89236, 12.47072 Just west of Tiber Island, at the northwest edge of Trastevere
Metro:Circo Massimo, or Tram 3 from Piramide, or Tram 8 from Largo di Torre Argentina
Time:about 10 minutes
Cost:Free
Hours:Viewable at any time

Ponte Sisto is a pedestrian bridge over the Tiber River, built between 1473 and 1479 by order of Pope Sixtus VI, connecting the southwest edge of Campus Martius to Trastevere, just west of Tiber Island. The bridge reuses the foundations of the Pons Aurelius, an ancient bridge destroyed during the middle ages. Ponte Sisto is easily recognized by the round hole in its central pier, which is intended to reduce the river's pressure on the bridge during times of flooding, thereby preventing the river's fury from destroying the bridge. The bridge figures prominently in the Tiber River cruise scenes at the end of The Great Beauty.

    
Ponte Sisto, from the west, as viewed from Tiber Island
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The western side of Ponte Sisto, viewed from the shore on the Campus Martius side of the bridge
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Ponte Sisto from the northwest, on my Tiber River cruise
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Ponte Sisto from the northwest, on my Tiber River cruise
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Ponte Sisto from the northwest, on my Tiber River cruise
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Ponte Sisto from the southeast, after passing under it, on my Tiber River cruise
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The Fountain of Ponte Sisto is located on its southwestern (Trastevere) end. A very nice view of the sunset over Rome can be had from this bridge, since the Fountain of Ponte Sisto and the Big Fountain on the Janiculum Hill can be easily seen from the bridge, with the colors of sunset behind them.

    
Sun rays over Ponte Sisto, as sunset approaches
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Sun rays over Ponte Sisto, as sunset approaches
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Sun rays over Ponte Sisto, as sunset approaches
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Sunset over Ponte Sisto, showing the Fountain of Ponte Sisto on the far end of the bridge, and the Big Fountain and the Janiculum Hill in the background
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See also:
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