Ponte della Maddalena, Naples, Stone bridge in eastern Naples, Italy
Ponte della Maddalena is a stone bridge in eastern Naples built with five substantial arches. The structure features two religious shrines with white marble columns, one dedicated to Saint Gennaro and another to Saint John Nepomuceno.
Built in 1556 under Viceroy Ferdinand Alvarez de Toledo, it replaced an earlier structure destroyed by flooding near the Sebeto River. The bridge was modified in the late 1800s to allow new tram vehicles to cross its span.
The name comes from a 14th-century church dedicated to Saint Mary Magdalene that also served as a hospital for the ill. This religious origin still shapes how people understand this place in the city today.
The best way to explore it is on foot, viewing the structure and its details from different angles. Keep in mind that the original river once flowed beneath it, though the waterway was later channeled underground.
The original Sebeto River that once flowed beneath the bridge no longer exists, as it was channeled underground over time. This transformation reveals how the city's landscape changed dramatically.
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