Sunday, May 2, 2010

ponte sisto



the kissing bridge




Ponte Sisto is a footbridge in Rome's historic centro storico, spanning the river Tiber and connecting Via del Pettinari to Piazza Trilussa in Trastevere. The current Renaissance bridge was built by Pope Sixtus IV (hence the name) between 1473 and 1479 as a replacement of a prior ancient Roman bridge named Pons Aurelius.


The bridge is characteristic because of its central circular 'oculus' Latin for "eye." It connects two very fashionable night-life areas near Campo de' Fiori and Trastevere, and has become part of Italy's pop culture, recently featured in films, music videos, and ads.

I shot a film on Ponte Sisto a few summers ago, and our crew was a motley one indeed, young, reckless, stealing images with a hand held 16mm camera, no permits to shoot in that location and with an actor who had indulged in one vino too many. 

The unpredicted gift of a spectacular sunset and an unexpected couple kissing passionately in the closing frame of the romantic scene of the solitary protagonist who returns to Rome after many years, was just perfect. It's one of my favorite parts of the film.







For more images of bridges around the world,
please visit San Francisco Bay Daily Photo,
hosting the weekly Sunday Bridges series.





15 comments:

  1. It feels as if were walking right on by on that bridge. Lovely.

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  2. With only four days in Rome, I didn't see Trastevere or the island. Next time!

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  3. I must visit Rome. How lovely to stroll here, untroubled by traffic.

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  4. Great photographs of beautiful Roma again Eleonora.
    Have a great day.
    Costas

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  5. Nice choice for the bridge day. I don't recall this bridge from any of my visits to Rome. But maybe that's because I never went with anyone worth kissing! (Not in a romantic way, at least).

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  6. Rosaria~ Thank you!
    Jeff~ 4 days isn't enough for Rome!!
    «Louis»~ Merci!
    Jennyfreckles~ It's a lovely stroll, but alas traffic buzzes by on both ends of this "oasis"
    Naturedigital~ Thank you, and a good one to you too!
    Halcyon~ Then you must come back and kiss someone on it at dusk!

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  7. Amazing photos! One day I will see these things in person.

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  8. Beautiful brdige - a great place for a kiss ;)

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  9. is it really the kissing bridge, cause now its all making sense to me.

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  10. I like the sound of Kissing Bridge ;-)

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  11. Oh, so beautiful!
    I am getting truly homesick here: I lived a few streets from there, in Via del Monte della Farina (only later would we move to the Parioli district), my hairdresser was in Via dei Pettinari. Bella Roma!

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  12. interesting-sounding movie. ;-)

    nice-looking bridges.

    paz

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  13. I have sweet memories from my trip there!

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  14. Lovely bridge and interesting story -:)

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~Eleonora

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