Pontenove Bridge

Not far from the ancient parish church stands the ‘Ponte di Pontenove’ bridge. Although traces of the ancient Roman bridge have long since been lost, the existence of a bridge at Pontenove has been documented since at least 1167, and until the 16th century it was the only bridge crossing the Chiese river within the territory of Bedizzole. For a long time, the bridge was made of wood, but in 1718, the Vicinia (local council) decided to build the current stone structure, which was embellished in 1743 with a niche in which the statue of St. John of Nepomuk was placed. During the Second War of Independence, the retreating Austrians demolished the bridge on 11 June 1859. Engineer Paolo Chiodi repaired it with a wooden scaffold to allow the troops of Emperor Napoleon III and Victor Emmanuel II to cross the Chiese River in preparation for the Battle of San Martino and Solferino.