Ponte Vecchio sulla Morobbia

Date of construction unknown

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The bridge over the Morobbia known as the Ponte Vecchio, or Old Bridge, was an important part of the Via Francesca or Via Maestra linking Bellinzona to Monte Ceneri and Magadino. The date of its construction is unknown. The Romanesque church of San Bartolomeo may point to the existence of a bridge as early as the 13th century. The presence of a crossing was vital to the inhabitants of Giubiasco, allowing them to reach the church located on the opposite bank. In the Como statutes of 1335, mention is made of a bridge, perhaps the one over the Morobbia, which was to be maintained by Camorino, Sant’Antonio and Giubiasco. The Ponte Vecchio is also depicted in a 17th-century painting from the church of San Bartolomeo. The engineer Francesco Meschini described two crossing points of the Morobbia in 1801. One of the two led up to the foot of Monte Morobbia, crossed the river over a stone bridge and continued towards Giubiasco. It was a long, steep road, used only when the river was in full flow.