Luigi Giura (1795–1865) was an
Italian engineer
Engineers, as practitioners of engineering, are professionals who invent, design, analyze, build and test machines, complex systems, structures, gadgets and materials to fulfill functional objectives and requirements while considering the l ...
and
architect
An architect is a person who plans, designs and oversees the construction of buildings. To practice architecture means to provide services in connection with the design of buildings and the space within the site surrounding the buildings that h ...
.
Giura was the Inspector of the Corps of Bridges and Roads of the
Kingdom of the Two Sicilies
The Kingdom of the Two Sicilies ( it, Regno delle Due Sicilie) was a kingdom in Southern Italy from 1816 to 1860. The kingdom was the largest sovereign state by population and size in Italy before Italian unification, comprising Sicily and a ...
. Giura is most famous for the design and construction of the second
suspension bridge
A suspension bridge is a type of bridge in which the deck (bridge), deck is hung below suspension wire rope, cables on vertical suspenders. The first modern examples of this type of bridge were built in the early 1800s. Simple suspension bridg ...
in Europe, the first in continental Europe, in 1832.
Biography
Giura was born in 1795 in
Maschito, a small
Arbëreshë Arbën/Arbër, from which derived Arbënesh/Arbëresh originally meant all Albanians, until the 18th century. Today it is used for different groups of Albanian origin, including:
* Arbër (given name), an Albanian masculine given name
* Arbëresh ...
town in the
Vulture-Melfi in
Basilicata
it, Lucano (man) it, Lucana (woman)
, population_note =
, population_blank1_title =
, population_blank1 =
, demographics_type1 =
, demographics1_footnotes =
, demographics1_title1 =
, demographics1_info1 =
...
. Giura's parents were Francis Xavier Giura and Victoria Pascale. Giura received his first schooling in Maschito at the school of the Fathers of St.
Joseph Calasanz and then at the seminary in
Melfi
Melfi (Neapolitan language, Lucano: ) is a town and ''comune'' in the Vulture area of the province of Potenza, in the Southern Italian region of Basilicata. Geographically, it is midway between Naples and Bari. In 2015 it had a population of 17,7 ...
; he later moved to
Naples
Naples (; it, Napoli ; nap, Napule ), from grc, Νεάπολις, Neápolis, lit=new city. is the regional capital of Campania and the third-largest city of Italy, after Rome and Milan, with a population of 909,048 within the city's adminis ...
to attend university courses. Giura was a member of the initial group of students at the School of Bridges and Roads promoted by King
Gioacchino Murat
Joachim Murat ( , also , ; it, Gioacchino Murati; 25 March 1767 – 13 October 1815) was a French military commander and statesman who served during the French Revolutionary Wars and Napoleonic Wars. Under the French Empire he received the ...
in his Decree of March 4th, 1811. The school, during Giura's attendance, was directed by
Carlo Afan de Rivera, now the school has become the Faculty of Engineering at the
University of Naples Federico II.
Giura graduated in 1814 and was admitted to the
Corps of Bridges and Roads, where he began a series of study tours in Britain and
France
France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...
. During these tours Giura was able to check the progression being made in the field of engineering and obtain new perspectives from the industrial development of these countries. At that time the governments of the more underdeveloped countries were trying to acquire information and data to get a hold of newly developed technologies, they went about this by sending their best technicians into the field--an activity that variously hindered or encouraged the country's progress.
The Corps of Bridges and Roads (forerunner of the
Neapolitan Civil Engineers
Neapolitan means of or pertaining to Naples, a city in Italy; or to:
Geography and history
* Province of Naples, a province in the Campania region of southern Italy that includes the city
* Duchy of Naples, in existence during the Early and Hig ...
), from 1820–40, established a series of interventions in the territory as
Regi Lagni
The Regi Lagni are a set of rectilinear and mostly man-made channels covering 1.095 km2 in 99 towns in the Province of Caserta, Province of Avellino, Province of Benevento and the Metropolitan City of Naples. They were built as part of canali ...
, channels for the flow of water in critical mountain areas, and as a result, it attracted the attention of the old French masters. In 1860, Giura returned to the School of Bridges and Roads as director.
Garibaldi
Giuseppe Maria Garibaldi ( , ;In his native Ligurian language, he is known as ''Gioxeppe Gaibado''. In his particular Niçard dialect of Ligurian, he was known as ''Jousé'' or ''Josep''. 4 July 1807 – 2 June 1882) was an Italian general, patr ...
recognized Giura's ability and wanted him as the Minister of Public Works for the provisional government that was serving at the time.
Giura developed the arrangement of the eastern side of Naples, commonly known as "The Railway", which provided the connection between the
Real Albergo dei Poveri and
Piliero allowing a pass through the railway terminals at the ancient city walls. The project was partially implemented after his death in 1865. Giura's fame comes primarily from his suspension bridge designs: the
Bridge Real Ferdinando sul Garigliano
The catenary suspension bridge of Real Ferdinando or the Ferdinandeo Bridge over the River Garigliano was the first iron catenary suspension bridge built in Italy, and one of the earliest in continental Europe. This bridge, which was technologicall ...
, which was the first suspension bridge built in continental Europe, in 1832; and the
Maria Cristina Bridge on the
River Calore near
Benevento
Benevento (, , ; la, Beneventum) is a city and ''comune'' of Campania, Italy, capital of the province of Benevento, northeast of Naples. It is situated on a hill above sea level at the confluence of the Calore Irpino (or Beneventano) and the ...
, completed in 1835. These accomplishments had significant effects in terms of economies and in the challenging aspect of the design. Giura also created aesthetically pleasing solutions to construction problems. The metal building components were produced in the foundries of an arms factory in
Mongiana
Mongiana ( Calabrian: ) is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Vibo Valentia in the Italian region Calabria, located about southwest of Catanzaro and about southeast of Vibo Valentia.
Mongiana was the seat of the main ironworks and f ...
. The state funded the construction.
The Real Ferdinand Bridge was partially demolished by the retreating German divisions in 1943. The Maria Cristina Bridge, after being damaged in 1851 and promptly repaired by Giura, was completely blown into the air by German sappers in 1943.
Other achievements Giura is remembered for are:
*before the Naples train station, the terminus of the Napoli-
Nocera/
Castellammare railway
*supervising the construction of the Napoli-Nocera/Castellammare, now the
Naples–Salerno railway
The Naples–Salerno railway line is a major railway line in the Italian rail network, forming a link in the main trunk line to southern Italy. The first nine kilometres from Naples to Portici was the first railway in Italy, opened on 3 October ...
*the rebuilding of the dome (1852) of the
Church of the Girolamini, Naples
The Church and Convent of the Girolamini or Gerolamini is a church and ecclesiastical complex in Naples, Italy. It is located directly across from the Cathedral of Naples on via Duomo. The facade is across the homonymous piazza and street ( Vi ...
After his death, Giura was buried in the
Cemetery of Poggioreale
The Cemetery of Poggioreale is one of the major cemeteries in Naples, Italy. It is also known as Camposanto Nuovo, to distinguish it from Camposanto Vecchio, which is now known as Cemetery of the 366 Fossae. It is bordered by the Largo Santa Mari ...
.
Bibliography
*T.C.I., ''Capire l'Italia - Campagna e Industria, itinerari'',
Milan
Milan ( , , Lombard: ; it, Milano ) is a city in northern Italy, capital of Lombardy, and the second-most populous city proper in Italy after Rome. The city proper has a population of about 1.4 million, while its metropolitan city h ...
1981
*Riccardo De Sanctis, ''La nuova scienza a Napoli tra '700 e '800'',
Laterza,
Bari
Bari ( , ; nap, label= Barese, Bare ; lat, Barium) is the capital city of the Metropolitan City of Bari and of the Apulia region, on the Adriatic Sea, southern Italy. It is the second most important economic centre of mainland Southern Italy a ...
1986
*Roberto Parisi, ''Relazione al XIII Congr. Int.
TICCIH
The International Committee for the Conservation of the Industrial Heritage, usually known by its acronym TICCIH, is the international society dedicated to the study of industrial archaeology and the protection, promotion and interpretation of the ...
2006 - Napoli industriale...'',
Terni
Terni ( , ; lat, Interamna (Nahars)) is a city in the southern portion of the region of Umbria in central Italy. It is near the border with Lazio. The city is the capital of the province of Terni, located in the plain of the Nera river. It is ...
2006
*Brunello de Stefano Manno; Gennaro Matacena, ''Le Reali Ferriere ed officine di Mongiana'', casa editrice storia di Napoli e delle due Sicilie, Naples, 1979.
*Comune di
Solopaca
Solopaca (Campanian: ) is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Benevento in the Italian region Campania, located about northeast of Naples and about northwest of Benevento. As of 31 December 2004, it had a population of 4,134 and an a ...
, ''Ricerca sui primi ponti sospesi in ferro'',
Telese Terme Telese Terme, called simply Telese until 1991, is a city, ''comune'' (municipality) and former episcopal seat in the Province of Benevento, in the Campania region of southern Italy. It is located in the valley of the Calore, well known for its sulfu ...
, 1991.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Giura, Luigi
19th-century Italian architects
Architects from Naples
Italian civil engineers
1795 births
1865 deaths
People from the Province of Potenza