The “Ponte della Concordia bridge” is one of the most striking symbols of Fossombrone, Marche. This elegant humpback bridge, with a single round arch, spans the Metauro River, uniting the historic center of Fossombrone with the district of Sant’Antonio on the right bank. The present structure was faithfully rebuilt in 1947 by the Ministry of Public Works after the original 1782 bridge, designed by Pesaro architect Luigi Baldelli, was destroyed by the Germans in 1944 during World War II.
The original bridge was begun in 1776 based on a design by Roman architect Filippo Marchionni, after a long period of hesitation that lasted a full eleven years. Completed in 1782, it was built of Furlo stone covered with brick, with a bold single arch 40 meters long and 20 meters high, which gave the structure a surprising visual lightness, so much so that it was praised as one of the most elegant in Italy.
Before the 18th-century bridge, there was another medieval bridge with five arches, built in 1292 by master masons Cresci and Angeluccio under podestà Palmulo. Seventy meters long and enriched in the center by a religious aedicule, this bridge collapsed in 1765 due to a violent flooding of the Metaurus River; the remains of a pier below the water level are still visible of it.
The name “Ponte della Concordia” has been official since 1964, when it first appeared in a municipal resolution; however, it is also known as Ponte Vittorio Emanuele or simply as Ponte sul Metauro, designations related to the historical and political changes of the 20th century. Today, with its soaring archway reminiscent of the so-called medieval “devil’s bridges,” the Ponte della Concordia is a must-see scenic destination and a monument that recounts centuries of Fossombrone’s history and architectural ingenuity.
