Ponte Vecchio in Bassano del Grappa and the houses facing the river Brenta, seen from the right bank, Veneto
The view is taken from the bank of the Brenta downstream of the Ponte Vecchio in Bassano del Grappa and takes in, within a single frame, the bridge and the built front that continues eastwards from it. The bridge, also known as the Ponte degli Alpini, is a covered crossing built entirely of timber to a design by Andrea Palladio of 1569; it rests on four wedge-shaped piers, set against the current so as to offer the least possible resistance to the river in flood, and carries a pitched roof supported by a row of wooden columns. The structure has been rebuilt several times to the original drawing, most recently in 1948 after its destruction in the war. To the right runs the front of the houses occupying the top of the escarpment: buildings of three and four storeys, rendered in ochre, white and red earth, with timber shutters and balconies overlooking the water, some with their lower part set directly on the embankment wall. Behind them, on the raised level of the historic centre, the crenellated tower of the Ezzelini Castle can be seen on the left and a bell tower with a belvedere chamber at the centre, while two rows of cypresses mark the slope down to the river. The moment is that of a clear winter day, with cumulus cloud arranged in a band above the town. The current of the Brenta is smooth and returns the full reflection of the façades and of the timber structure, with the shift from green to turquoise characteristic of alpine waters descending from the Grappa massif.
