The Ponte Molle, Rome

This etching is from a series of prints of the surroundings of Rome made by Jan Both during his stay in Italy between 1636 and 1640. Probably built in 109 B.C. to replace an earlier wooden structure, the Ponte Molle bridges the Tiber on the Via Flaminia at the northern end of the city. Until the advent of modern travel, it had particular significance for visitors coming from northern Europe, as it was their first point of entry into Rome.