Marker Logo
THE HISTORICAL
MARKER DATABASE
“Bite-Size Bits of Local, National, and Global History”
Colle di Val d'Elsa in Provincia di Siena, Tuscany, Italy — Southern and Western Europe (Mediterranean)
 

Resti del Ponte di Spugna
⎯⎯⎯
Remains of the Spugna Bridge

 
 
Resti del Ponte di Spugna / Remains of the Spugna Bridge Marker image. Click for full size.
Photographed by Sean P. Flynn, August 1, 2025
1. Resti del Ponte di Spugna / Remains of the Spugna Bridge Marker
Inscription.
Spugna, intorno all'anno 1000 era la localitΰ piω importante dell'area, tanto che ben presto vicino ad essa fu costruito sul fiume Elsa un ponte di legno che per lungo tempo costitui l'unica strada che si dirigeva verso Firenze.
Questo ponte di legno fu distrutto nel 1318 da una grave alluvione e le autoritΰ colligiane decisero di costruire un ponte in muratura di cui oggi si possono notare solo i resti.
Il ponte che qui sorgeva viene tradizionalmente definito come il "Ponte di Arnolfo" ed θ esistito fino agli inizi dell' Ottocento.
Qui il vecchio ponte θ ritratto nella incisione di B.T. Pouncy pubblicata a Londra nel 1799.

Alcune citazioni
"E se stati non fossero acqua d'Elsa li pensier vani intorno a la tua mente, e 'l piacer un Piramo a la gelsa, per tante circostanze solamente la giustizia di Dio, ne l'interdetto, conosceresti a l'arbor moralmente......" ...le acque del fiume Elsa erano famose per le numerose incrostazioni e concrezioni depositate sulle pietre o altri oggetti in esse contenuti... .
Dante-Divina Commedia Purgatorio Canto XXXIII

"E continuando i lamentevoli possi, si trovς a Perugina, dalla quale partitosi, de cammini ignorante, pervenne alle vene ad Onci, ande le chlarissime onde dell'Elsa vide uscire e cominciare nuovo fiume..."
Boccaccio-Filocolo Libro
Paid Advertisement
Click or scan to see
this page online
Terzo

[English translation of Italian text:]
Around the year 1000, Spugna was the most important town in the area, so much so that a wooden bridge was soon built nearby over the Elsa River, which for a long time was the only road leading to Florence.
This wooden bridge was destroyed in 1318 by a severe flood, and the Colle authorities decided to build a masonry bridge, of which only the ruins remain today.
The bridge that once stood here is traditionally referred to as the "Arnolfo Bridge" and existed until the early 19th century.
The old bridge is depicted here in an engraving by B.T. Pouncy, published in London in 1799.

Some quotes
"And if the water of the Elsa had not been the vain thoughts around your mind, and your pleasure like a Pyramus in the mulberry tree, for so many circumstances only the justice of God, in the interdict, would you morally recognize in the tree..." ...the waters of the Elsa River were famous for the numerous encrustations and concretions deposited on the stones or other objects contained within them... .
Dante-Divine Comedy Purgatory Canto 33

"And continuing his lamentable journeys, he found himself in Perugia, from which, leaving, ignorant of his journeys, he reached the veins at Onci, and there he saw the very clear waves of the Elsa rise and begin a new river..."
Boccaccio-Filocolo
Resti del Ponte di Spugna / Remains of the Spugna Bridge Marker image. Click for full size.
Photographed by Sean P. Flynn, August 1, 2025
2. Resti del Ponte di Spugna / Remains of the Spugna Bridge Marker
A chicken farm sits in front of the ruins of the Spugna Bridge.
Book Three
 
Erected by Parco Fluviale Altavaldelsa.
 
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Bridges & ViaductsEnvironmentReligion & Religious StructuresWaterways & Vessels. A significant historical year for this entry is 1000 CE.
 
Location. 43° 25.335′ N, 11° 7.864′ E. Marker is in Colle di Val d'Elsa, Toscana (Tuscany), in Provincia di Siena. It can be reached from Route SP5, on the left when traveling west. The marker is on the Sentierelsa (Elsa Trail), about 100 meters or so from the trail's entrance from Route SP5. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Colle di Val d'Elsa, Toscana 53034, Italy. Touch for directions.

Regionally, it is in Europe, the European Union, the Schengen Area, a coastal Mediterranean country, and the Western World. Historically, it finds itself in what was once the Byzantine Empire, the Roman Empire, and specifically the Holy Roman Empire.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 10 kilometers of this marker, measured as the crow flies: Via Francigena (approx. 8.6 kilometers away); San Gimignano War Memorial (approx. 8.6 kilometers away); Porta San Giovanni / Gate of Saint John (approx. 8.6 kilometers away); Fra Giorlamo Savonarola (approx. 8.6 kilometers away); Il Convento di San Domenico / The Convent of San Domenico (approx. 8.6 kilometers away); The Freeing of 72 Political Prisoners in 1944 (approx. 8.6 kilometers away); Leone Chellini (approx. 8.6 kilometers away); Leopold II (approx. 8.6 kilometers away).
 
Regarding Resti del Ponte di Spugna / Remains of the Spugna Bridge.
The Sentierelsa Trail image. Click for full size.
Photographed by Sean P. Flynn, August 1, 2025
3. The Sentierelsa Trail
The trail follows the old Via Francigena, an ancient pilgrimage route that goes from Canterbury, England, to the south of Italy.
Spugna is the Italian word for "Sponge"; a nearby street in the municipality of Colle di Val d'Elsa is called Via di Spugna.

This trail beginning in Colle di Val d'Elsa represents a small portion of the Via Francigena, an ancient pilgrimage route that starts in Canterbury, England, and travels about 1,200 miles to the south of Italy.
 
Also see . . .  Exploring the Elsa Trail and Diborrato Waterfall in Tuscany. A website called Salt in Our Hair looks at the Sentierelsa (Elsa Trail). (Submitted on September 4, 2025, by Sean P. Flynn of Oak Park, Illinois.) 
 
 
Credits. This page was last revised on September 6, 2025. It was originally submitted on September 4, 2025, by Sean P. Flynn of Oak Park, Illinois. This page has been viewed 74 times since then and 14 times this year. Photos:   1, 2, 3. submitted on September 4, 2025, by Sean P. Flynn of Oak Park, Illinois.
m=283565

CeraNet Cloud Computing sponsors the Historical Marker Database.
This website earns income from purchases you make after using our links to Amazon.com. We appreciate your support.
Paid Advertisement
Jun. 6, 2026