Ponte dei Pugni
Ponte dei Pugni
At first sight, the Ponte dei Pugni (Bridge of Fists) looks very similar to dozens of of other bridges in Venice, but a closer inspection reveals four marble footprints on its crown.
The prints mark the position taken up by members of the city's two rival clans, the Castellani and the Nicolotti., for the bridge was often used for a Lotta dei Pugni, or fistfight. The objective of the fight, in which hundreds took part, was simply to dislodge the opposition in order to take possession of the bridge.
The Lotte dei Pugni, which can be seen as a form of ritualised aggression, first took place in 1292 and only came to an end in 1705 when a particularly bloody fight chalked up its first fatalities. The fights were then banned by law and replaced by the Forze dell'Ercole, trials of strength in which the clans competed to create the tallest human pyramid.
The prints mark the position taken up by members of the city's two rival clans, the Castellani and the Nicolotti., for the bridge was often used for a Lotta dei Pugni, or fistfight. The objective of the fight, in which hundreds took part, was simply to dislodge the opposition in order to take possession of the bridge.
The Lotte dei Pugni, which can be seen as a form of ritualised aggression, first took place in 1292 and only came to an end in 1705 when a particularly bloody fight chalked up its first fatalities. The fights were then banned by law and replaced by the Forze dell'Ercole, trials of strength in which the clans competed to create the tallest human pyramid.
Ponte dei Pugni
Lotta dei Pugni