History
In ancient Rome, the area belonged to the IX Augustan region called Circus Flaminius, that was a part of the Campus Martius. Nero built another bridge, that was called Neronianus or triumphalis because the Via Triumphalis, the Triumphal Way, passed over it: starting with Titus, the victorious emperors celebrating their triumphs entered Rome marching through it.
Nero's bridge was also called Pons Vaticanus (English: 'Vatican Bridge'), because it connected the Ager Vaticanus to the left bank, later Pons ruptus ('broken bridge'), because it was already ruined in the Middle Ages. In ancient Rome there was a port that was used to carry the materials for temples and great works to the Campus Martius.
The active life of the area went on during the Middle Ages and the modern period, and this activity deleted almost all signs of ancient Rome in the rione. The population increased because many people moved from the surrounding hills to Ponte, because of the lack of water in other parts of Rome, since it was then possible to drink the water of the River Tiber. Moreover, the rione was on the edge of Ponte Sant'Angelo, thus all the main streets of Rome were leading there and the area was full of pilgrims going to the Vatican. That is why it was full of inns, restaurants, shops of holy objects, etc.
During the 16th century the rione was very important for its streets, like Via Giulia and Via dei Coronari; that is why several palaces of the greatest families of Rome were built according to the projects of famous artists, thus making the area very renowned.
A common event in the area was to see a small procession led by a person dressed in black, covering his face, carrying a crucifix on his shoulders. On a wagon there was a chained condemned man kissing continuously an image of Jesus. The destination of the procession was the square in front of Ponte Sant'Angelo, where the gallows were.
Although Ponte was a quite rich area, it was the one most affected by the frequent flooding of the River Tiber.
The look of the rione changed completely after Rome became capital of reunited Italy in 1870: the embankments of the river were built to stop the flooding and new bridges were made to connect Vatican City and the rione Prati to the rest of Rome. All the narrow streets leading to the river were lost, to make space for the embankments, but it is still possible to see the typical look of the older rione in the inner parts of the area.
Geography
Boundaries
To the north, Ponte borders with the stretch of the Tiber between Ponte Principe Amedeo and Ponte Umberto I, that separates it from Borgo (R. XIV) and Prati (R. XXII).
Eastward, Ponte briefly borders with Campo Marzio (R. IV), the boundary being Via del Cancello and Via dell'Orso. It also borders with Sant'Eustachio (R. VIII), which is separated from Ponte by Via dei Pianellari, Piazza di Sant'Agostino e Via di Sant'Agostino.
Southward, the rione borders with Parione (R. VI), whose boundary is defined by Piazza delle Cinque Lune, Piazza di Tor Sanguigna, Largo Febo, Via di Santa Maria dell'Anima, Via di Tor Millina, Via della Pace, Piazza del Fico, Via del Corallo, Via del Governo Vecchio, Via dei Filippini and Vicolo Cellini. To the south, Ponte also borders with Regola (R. VII), from which is separated by Via dei Banchi Vecchi, Via delle Carceri, Vicolo della Scimia and Via Bravaria, up to the Tiber.
To the west, Ponte borders with Trastevere (R. XIII), from which is separated by the stretch of the Tiber between Ponte Giuseppe Mazzini and Ponte Principe Amedeo.
Trastevere is the 13th rione of Rome, Italy. It is identified by the initials R. XIII and it is located within Municipio I. Its name comes from Latin trans Tiberim.
The Tor di Nona is a neighborhood in Rome's rionePonte. It lies in the heart of the city's historic center, between the Via dei Coronari and the Tiber River. Its name commemorates the Torre dell'Annona, a mediaeval tower which once stood there and was later converted into one of the city's most important theatres, the Teatro Tordinona, later called the Teatro Apollo.
Parione is the 6th rione of Rome, Italy, identified by the initials R. VI, and belongs to the Municipio I. Its name comes from the fact that in the area there was a huge ancient wall, maybe belonging to the stadium of Domitianus; the nickname people gave to this wall was Parietone, from which the name Parione.
Sant'Eustachio is the 8th rione of Rome, Italy, identified by the initials R. VIII. It is named after the eponymous church and is located within the Municipio I.
Regola is the 7th rione of Rome, Italy, identified by the initials R. VII, and belongs to the Municipio I. The name comes from Arenula, which was the name of the soft sand that the river Tiber left after the floods, and that built strands on the left bank.
Sant'Angelo is the 11th rione of Rome, Italy, located in Municipio I. Often written as rione XI - Sant'Angelo, it has a coat of arms with an angel on a red background, holding a palm branch in its left hand. In another version, the angel holds a sword in its right hand and a scale in its left.
Ripa is the 12th rione of Rome, Italy, identified by the initials R. XII, and it is located in the Municipio I.
Borgo is the 14th rione of Rome, Italy. It is identified by the initials R. XIV and is included within Municipio I.
Prati is the 22nd rione of Rome, Italy, identified by the initials R. XXII. It belongs to the Municipio I since 2013, while previously, along with Borgo and quartieri Trionfale and Della Vittoria, it was part of the Municipio XVII.
Campo Marzio is the 4th rione of Rome, Italy, identified by the initials R. IV. It belongs to the Municipio I and covers a smaller section of the area of the ancient Campus Martius. The logo of this rione is a silver crescent on a blue background.
Ponte Sant'Angelo, originally the Aelian Bridge or Pons Aelius, is a Roman bridge in Rome, Italy, completed in 134 AD by Roman Emperor Hadrian, to span the Tiber from the city centre to his newly constructed mausoleum, now the towering Castel Sant'Angelo. The bridge is faced with travertine marble and spans the Tiber with five arches, three of which are Roman; it was approached by means of a ramp from the river. The bridge is now solely pedestrian and provides a scenic view of Castel Sant'Angelo. It links the rioni of Ponte, and Borgo, to which the bridge administratively belongs.
The Via Giulia is a street of historical and architectural importance in Rome, Italy, which runs along the left (east) bank of the Tiber from Piazza San Vincenzo Pallotti, near Ponte Sisto, to Piazza dell'Oro. It is about 1 kilometre long and connects the Regola and Ponte Rioni.
Lungotevere is an alley or boulevard running along the river Tiber within the city of Rome. The building of the Lungoteveres required the demolition of the former edifices along the river banks and the construction of retaining walls called muraglioni.
Via dei Coronari is a street in the historic center of Rome. The road, flanked by buildings mostly erected in the 15th and the 16th century, belongs entirely to the rione Ponte and is one of the most picturesque roads of the old city, having maintained the character of an Italian Renaissance street.
The following outline is provided as an overview of and topical guide to Rome:
Borgo Vecchio, also named in the Middle Ages Via Sancta, Carriera Sancta or Carriera Martyrum, was a road in the city of Rome, Italy, important for historical and architectural reasons. The road was destroyed together with the adjacent quartier in 1936–37 due to the construction of Via della Conciliazione.
Piazza Scossacavalli, also named Piazza di San Clemente, Piazza di Trento, Piazza d'Aragona, Piazza Salviati, was a square in Rome, Italy, important for historical and architectonic reasons. The square was demolished together with the surrounding quarter in 1937 due to the construction of Via della Conciliazione.
The Carceri Nuove was a prison built in the mid-17th century at the instigation of Pope Innocent X and his ideals of humanity and clemency. The New Jails were to replace other prisons throughout the city. This jail remained in operation until the construction of the judicial prison of Regina Coeli in Trastevere at the turn of the 20th century. The building, in 2020, housed the Direzione Nazionale Antimafia e Antiterrorismo.
Borgo Santo Spirito is a street in Rome, Italy, important for historical and artistic reasons. From a historical point of view, it is considered the most interesting street in the Borgo district. Of medieval origin, it is linked to the foundation of the ancient fortified hospice for pilgrims from England, the Burgus Saxonum. The street houses the oldest Roman hospital, the Arcispedale di Santo Spirito in Saxia, which gave it its name. Heavily altered during the works for the opening of Via della Conciliazione, it nevertheless avoided the fate of the two parallel streets of Borgo Nuovo and Borgo Vecchio, both destroyed.
