Ponte di Mezzo Pisa
Ponte di Mezzo

The Ponte di Mezzo is the most famous bridge of Pisa. It connects the Piazza Garibaldi on the north bank of the river Arno with the Piazza XX Settembre and the Corso d’Italia. Once a year the Gioco di Ponte di Mezzo takes place on this bridge.

A brief history of the Ponte di Mezzo in Pisa

In Roman times there was only one bridge over the Arno, close to the Santa Cristina Church, near an extension of the Via Aemilia Scauri (which corresponds to the present Via San Martino).

In the 11th century a new bridge was built (the Ponte d’Arno), which was destroyed by a great flood in 1179. A few years a new bridge was constructed near the Via Santa Maria. The Ponte d’Arno was reconstructed and renamed Ponte Vecchio.

On this bridge, which would later become the Ponte di Mezzo, all kinds of buildings, shops and market stalls were placed, similar to Florence’s Ponte Vecchio.

In 1388, the bridge was restored by order of Pietro Gambacorti.

In 1637, the bridge collapsed again, to be restored by Francesco Nave in 1660, wo designed a version with three arches. In order to achieve this, several buildings on both river banks needed to be demolished . The photogenic Logge dei Banchi was constructed on the sounth side.

A final reconstruction became necessary after allied bombardments in the 2nd World War had caused major damage. The Ponte di Mezzo now consists of a single arch.

What to see

The Ponte di Mezzo is 89 meters long and 12.5 meters wide. It consists of a single arch and is made of reinforced concrete lined with a white stone from Verona.

Gioco di Ponte di Mezzo

At the Gioco di Ponte di Mezzo, which has been held annually since the 17th century, two teams of the contrade (contrada is an old word for “district”) Mezzogiorno and Tramontana try to push a cart to the opposite bank.

Location and public transport

The Ponte di Mezzo connects Piazza Garibaldi with Piazza XX Settembre. Bus: LAM rossa, LAM verde, navetta E, 2, 4, 5, 14.

Ponte di Mezzo, Pisa

Bibliography

Bertini, Luca, Pisa itinerari. Guida alla visita della città.