Ponte da Boa Vista, Bridge over Capibaribe River in Recife, Brazil.

The Ponte da Boa Vista spans the Capibaribe River with symmetrical sidewalks and bicycle lanes on each side. It connects the Santo Antonio and Boa Vista neighborhoods, allowing vehicles, pedestrians, and cyclists to cross safely.

Maurício de Nassau ordered the first bridge in 1640, but it stood elsewhere on the Capibaribe and was built of wood in seven weeks. Governor Henrique Luís Pereira Freire de Andrade had it destroyed during his 1737-1746 mandate. Antônio Bernardino Pereira do Lago rebuilt it in 1815, and in August 1874 Francisco Pereira Passos gave it its present wrought-iron form under governor Henrique Pereira de Lucena.

The bridge's four metal pilasters carry the imperial coat of arms and relief inscriptions with dates and mottoes summarising the history of Pernambuco and Brazil. In the 1940s and 1950s it served as a promenade where Recife residents paraded under the watch of photographers who sold them their pictures.

The bridge is open daily for pedestrians, cyclists, and vehicles, with marked lanes for each type of traffic. The quietest times to cross are early morning or late afternoon when traffic is lighter.

Four metal pilasters, two at each end of the bridge, carry the imperial coat of arms at the top, with dates and inscriptions in relief that summarise the history of Pernambuco and Brazil. Look up at the pilasters rather than at the deck.