Beautiful and clear photo of the Nomentano Bridge in 1860. The image shows us some people on the embankment, a couple are intent on fishing while some French soldiers look carefully towards the Aniene river. Meanwhile, on the road, a coachman awaits. The background to both the right and left of the bridge reveals a barren, barren hilly landscape. In those same spaces, only many years later, the Montesacro district will be built.

Ponte Nomentano 1860
Wikipedia

Together with the Milvio bridge and the Salario bridge , it was one of the most important suburban bridges in ancient Rome. It was originally built with square blocks of tuff, except for the travertine archivolts, and had 3 arches: the central one, larger than the other 2, overlooked the tributary of the Tiber. In the eighth century, under the pontificate of Adrian I, the bridge was fortified with two towers, in turn reinforced with walls in the twelfth-thirteenth century and raised under Niccolò V.
The first construction dates back to the Republican age and the bridge was rebuilt after the barbarian invasion of Totila . A local tradition wants a meeting on this bridge in the 1800s between Charlemagne and Leo III.
In the 10th century it belonged to the monastery of San Silvestro in Capite, then, from 1205, it belonged to the church of San Lorenzo in Lucina, then to the convent of San Pietro in Vincoli together with the church of Sant’Agnese outside the walls. In 1433 the bridge was occupied by Niccolò Fortebraccio della Stella and by Antonio Count of Pontedera, while in 1485 the bridge was conquered by Paolo Orsini. Later it had to undergo restorations and various adjustments.