Ponte Coperto

Very beautiful bridge, very clean area, nice natural surroundings. What else can someone say about it.

In Roman times, in the ancient town of Ticinum, there already was a bridge which connected the two shores of the river Ticino in the same location as the contemporary Ponte Coperto. The base of one of the central piers is still visible nowadays when there are low water levels. The orientation of the pier is proof that in Roman age the direction of the current of the river was different. It is believed that the Roman bridge was built during the Augustan age. According to the legend, in 999, on Christmas Eve, a few pilgrims wanted to attend the midnight mass in town but, because of the thick fog, their boats could not cross the river. Suddenly, a man in red clothes arrived, and he promised that he would immediately build a bridge in exchange of the first soul crossing the bridge. That man was the devil, and he was recognised only by the Archangel Michael, who had arrived from the church nearby. Michael pretended to accept the deal but, once the bridge was built, a goat crossed it first. The bridge therefore also became known as Ponte del Diavolo ("Devil's Bridge"). Interiors of the chapel with the 18th-century statue of Saint John of Nepomuk which survived the bombings during Second World War. In reality, the new bridge was built in 1351 on the ruins of the Roman bridge, following the project of Giovanni da Ferrara and Jacopo da Cozzo. The bridge was completed in 1354: it was covered and it had ten irregular arches and two towers at its ends, used for defence. The appearance of this bridge, although with only six arches, can be observed in Bernardino Lanzani's frescoes (around 1524) in Saint Theodore's Church. During the construction of the Spanish walls, in the 17th century, the first arch and a half on the city's side, and the first arch on the Borgo's side were incorporated in the bastions and therefore closed. Subsequently, new elements were added: a portal of entry on Borgo Ticino's side (1599), a chapel in the centre of the bridge in honour of Saint John of Nepomuk (1746), and lastly a portal of entry, built by Carlo Armati (1822), on the side of the historic centre. In the registry office in Mezzabarba Palace, seat of the municipality of Pavia, a wooden model of the XIV century bridge, built in 1938, is displayed. The Allied bombings in September 1944, during the Second World War, damaged the ancient bridge and destroyed one of its arches. At the end of the war, a debate was opened over the opportunity to fix the old bridge or to demolish it. Due to the fear that any collapse of the bridge could have caused a flood, in February 1948 the Ministry of Public Works ordered the demolition of the ancient artifact. A few remains of the piers of the ancient bridge are still visible in the waters of the River. The construction of the new bridge began in 1949, and its inauguration took place in 1951. An epigraph was placed on the portal of entry on the city's side with the words: Sull'antico varco del ceruleo Ticino, ad immagine del vetusto Ponte Coperto, demolito dalla furia della guerra, la Repubblica Italiana riedificò ("On the ancient passage of the cerulean Ticino river, in the likeness of the old Ponte Coperto, demolished by the war, the Italian Republic rebuilt"). Plaque on the Monumental Bridge as described by Albert Einstein In 2005, on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the death of Albert Einstein, a plaque was placed in the central portion of the bridge. The plaque reads An die schöne Brücke in Pavia habe ich oft gedacht ("I have often thought about that beautiful bridge in Pavia"), a quote from a letter written by the scientist in 1947 to an Italian friend which referred to a period of time Einstein had spent in Pavia when he was 15 years old.

Nice beautiful place to see the river, have a talk, somw tranquility! Unfortunately the school kids make it bad and worse! One more thing, in summer, there's a lot of mosquitoes!

NICE COVERED BRIDGE in PAVIA.

A beautiful place to relax. You could do a run on the side of the river. It's very calm and nice. Don't go in the evening or night because the mosquitos will eat you alive.

Nice view, especially on a sunny day, you can take a cool picture of the river

I love it, a breathtaking view really beautiful. Its also super calm and relaxing. A must see!!

Ponte coperto is really beautiful bridge. You should go there and I recommend to take the stairs and walk along the river: many young people go there sunbathing or cycling