History

Infrastructure investment, Roman style – funded by sex

Welcome to Ponte Sisto, Rome – part-funded by the numerical inconsistent* Pope Sixtus IV’s tax on prostitution.

It crosses the River Tiber in central Rome, built in the late 15th century, reusing the foundations of a Roman bridge that had been on the site. The hole in the middle of the bridge is to let water through in case of flooding, reducing the pressure on the brickwork.

Ponte Sisto, Rome

* Alas all the preparatory work put in by Popes Sixtus First to the Fifth have so far been wasted as no Pope has taken the opportunity to build on their work and be the numerically consistent Pope Sixtus the Sixth.

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