Ponte Milvio Bridge, Ponte Milvio, 00135 Rome RM, Italy
The first bridge at this location was built by Consul Gaius Claudius Nero in 206 BC after he defeated the Carthaginian army at the Battle of the Metaurus. In 109 BC, the censor Marcus Aemilius Scaurus built a new stone bridge on the same site, demolishing the old one. In 63 BC, letters from the conspirators of Catiline were intercepted here, allowing Cicero to read them to the Roman Senate the following day. In 312 AD, Constantine I defeated his stronger rival Maxentius between this bridge and the Saxa Rubra in the famous Battle of the Milvian Bridge.
In the Middle Ages, the bridge was repaired by a monk named Acuzio, and in 1429 Pope Martin V asked the renowned architect Francesco da Genazzano to repair it, as it was collapsing. During the 18th and 19th centuries, the bridge was modified by two architects, Giuseppe Valadier and Domenico Pigiani.
The bridge was heavily damaged in 1849 by Garibaldi’s troops trying to stop the French invasion, but was repaired the following year by Pope Pius IX.
After the release of the popular book and film "I Want You" (Ho voglia di te, 2006) by Federico Moccia, couples began attaching locks to a lamppost on the bridge as a symbol of love. After attaching the lock, they throw the key into the Tiber. However, after a lamppost partially collapsed in 2007 due to the weight of the locks, all parts of the bridge began to be used, including balustrades, railings, and trash bins. This continued for many years despite the Rome city council imposing a €50 fine on those caught attaching locks to the bridge. In 2012, city authorities removed all the locks from the bridge. Since then, the tradition of love locks has spread throughout Italy, the rest of Europe, and worldwide.
The bridge is known as a place where football hooligans or ultras from AS Roma attack fans of rival teams on match days. The lightning-fast attack, or puncicata as it is called in Roman slang, is when a flash mob of ultras ambushes fans, stabbing them in the buttocks before fleeing. The design and location of the bridge make it convenient for such attacks. During games of the other local team, SS Lazio, AS Roma fans try to avoid this area, as it is usually where Lazio ultras gather.
Sources:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ponte_Milvio
