Ponte di Cecco

Roman bridge with a legend involving the devil

A single-arch stone bridge over the Castellano on the eastern edge of the centre, attributed to the astrologer-poet Cecco d'Ascoli and to local pact-with-the-devil legend. The actual structure is Roman — probably first-century BC — and survived in working condition until being damaged in the Second World War and restored afterwards.

Easy walk from the cathedral down the riverside path. Worth crossing for the view back at the old city walls, which here drop straight to the river. Cecco's statue stands at the entrance to the bridge on the city side.

things to do sight
A story
Local legend insists that the astrologer Cecco d'Ascoli built the bridge in a single night with the help of the devil, bargaining the soul of the first creature to cross it. Cecco was burned at the stake in 1327 for heresy, which fits the story nicely. The bridge itself probably dates from Augustan times.

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