SIXTUS BRIDGE

PONTE SISTO

Piazza Trilussa/Via dei Pettinari

Part of an arch is ancient: maybe part of the Bridge of Agrippa, built before 12 BC, or of the AURELIUS or “ANTONINUS” BRIDGE built in 147 AD for Antoninus Pius (138/161) or Caracalla (211/217), who was actually called Marco Aurelius Antoninus

It was restored in the years 366/367 by the prefect Lucius Aurelius Avianus Symmachus under Valentinian (364/375 with Valens and Gratian) and called the Bridge of Valentinian until 589 when a flood of the River Tiber destroyed it

Since then it was called tremulous BRIDGE, BROKEN BRIDGE or GIANICOLENSE BRIDGE

It was rebuilt in 1473/75 maybe by Baccio Pontelli (about 1450/92) for Sixtus IV Della Rovere (1471/84). He incorporated the ruins of the ancient bridge in the new construction and used materials taken from the Colosseum

The bridge was financed with money from the taxes levied on the “public whores” or prostitutes under the control of the church

One of the pillars was restored in 1567 by Matteo Bartolani da Città di Castello (about 1527/about 1598) for Pius IV Medici (1559/65)

In 1998 the parapets were rebuilt according to the original design and the damaged metal walkways added in 1877 were removed

It is 108 m (354 feet) long and 11 m (36 feet) wide

It seems that Sixtus IV had decided to build the bridge because when he was still a cardinal he had lived in the Convent of S. Salvatore in Onda in Via dei Pettinari and so he knew well how the construction of the new bridge would have facilitated communications in this area of ​​Rome

It is the only bridge in Rome constructed between antiquity and the nineteenth century

MONUMENT TO TRILUSSA

MONUMENTO A TRILUSSA

Piazza Trilussa

1954 Lorenzo Ferri (1902/1975)

Trilussa was the pseudonym of Carlo Alberto Salustri (1871/1950) great Roman dialect poet

The monument was not liked very much and it was nicknamed "Lo sderenato de Trastevere" (Humpback of Trastevere). Guglielmo Guasta editor of the weekly satirical "Il Travaso" and friend of Trilussa published in 1958 a sonnet that ended like this: 

All bent down/ just like a sheep / he should thank God you don't see yourself / crouching down by the big fountain / if you would see yourself, my Trilussa, you wouldn't have taken it / and even if he had made you with no feet / you would have kicked his ass anyway!

FOUNTAIN OF THE ACQUA PAOLA IN PIAZZA TRILUSSA

FONTANA DELL'ACQUA PAOLA IN PIAZZA TRILUSSA

Piazza Trilussa

1613 Jan Van Santen aka Giovanni Vasanzio (1550/1621) with Giovanni Fontana (1540/1614), brother of Domenico and expert in hydraulics, for Pope Paul V Borghese (1605/21)

It was originally on the opposite bank at the end of Via Giulia

It was moved here in 1898 according to the design of Angelo Vescovali (1826/95), who had designed the embankments of the Tiber. It was rebuilt with only slightly more than half of the original material

It is also popularly known as Fontanone di Ponte Sisto (Big Fountain of Sixtus Bridge), whereas in the past it used to be called Fontanone dei Cento Preti (Big Fountain of the One Hundred Priests) as the original location in Via Giulia was adjacent to a monastery called Hospice of the One Hundred Brothers