Ponte dei Leoni

Where the Ponte dei Leoni Bridge stands once there was a Roman bridge called “Bridge of Arena”. It was much longer than the present bridge and it had seven arches. In the first half of the 19^th century the Austrian authorities had to have the old bridge demolished and a new one built because of its awful conditions and new military requirements (the constructional development of the route that connected Lecco with the Tyrol). This solution required an important urban rearrangement of the town area situated between the Arengario and crossing of the Lambro River.

The Austrians wanted to attribute a monumental and highly representative value of the Austrian power to the new bridge that was the access point to the town and the Reggia. Indeed, the work started in 1838 exactly the same year as Ferdinand I of Austria was crowned King of the Lombardy -Venetia Kingdom.

The work went on for two years. The bridge, planned by the engineer Caimi, is built on three arches, lit up by gas lanterns, decorated with granite parapets and embellished by four Carrara marble lions by the Milanese sculptor Antonio Tantardini.