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Arco dei Farnesi

This unassuming bridge is most likely one of Michelangelo's unfinished masterworks.

Rome, Italy

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Anthony Aitken
Michelangelo never completed this masterpiece.   Lord Aitken / Atlas Obscura User
Rome is littered with incredible architecture.   Lord Aitken / Atlas Obscura User
Michelangelo himself is behind this bridge.   Lord Aitken / Atlas Obscura User
The bridge has a surprising history behind it.   Lord Aitken / Atlas Obscura User
Greenery dangles from the bridge.   Lord Aitken / Atlas Obscura User
This unassuming bridge has a rather lofty historical connection.   Lord Aitken / Atlas Obscura User
The Arco dei Farnesi was commissioned by Pope Paul III.   Lord Aitken / Atlas Obscura User
  lions in the piazza / Atlas Obscura User
  lions in the piazza / Atlas Obscura User
  lions in the piazza / Atlas Obscura User
  lions in the piazza / Atlas Obscura User
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About

Over the Via Giulia in Rome lies the Arco dei Farnesi (The Farnese Arch). This arch was originally part of a design by Michelangelo, commissioned by Pope Paul III, to create a bridge that connected Palazzo Farnese with the Villa Farnesina in Trastevere over the Tiber River.

This would have been a private bridge reserved for the Farnese Family, which Pope Paul III was a member. Unfortunately, after Michelangelo's death, the bridge was never completed. Today this magnificent arch covered in vines along the Via Giulia can be viewed while on a stroll through the streets of Rome. 

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The bridge is one of Rome's many free public landmarks.

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Published

July 31, 2024

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