The Admiral's Bridge (

Italian Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, an ethnic group or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance language *** Regional Ita ...

: Ponte dell'Ammiraglio) is a

medieval In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the late 5th to the late 15th centuries, similar to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire ...

bridge of Palermo, located in Piazza Scaffa. It was built over the

Oreto River The Oreto is a river in Sicily. Its source is located between Altofonte and Monreale, a few kilometers from Palermo. It gives the name to the Oreto Valley and crosses the south-east portion of the city before flowing into the Tyrrhenian Sea. C ...

during the era of the

Norman Sicily Norman or Normans may refer to: Ethnic and cultural identity * The Normans, a people partly descended from Norse Vikings who settled in the territory of Normandy in France in the 10th and 11th centuries ** People or things connected with the Norm ...

by the '' ammiratus ammiratorum'' George of Antioch. In 2015, it became a

UNESCO World Heritage Site A World Heritage Site is a landmark or area with legal protection by an international convention administered by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). World Heritage Sites are designated by UNESCO for ...

as part of a series of nine civil and religious structures inscribed as Arab-Norman Palermo and the Cathedral Churches of Cefalù and Monreale.

History

According to a legend, the bridge is situated in the place where the

Archangel Michael Michael (; he, מִיכָאֵל, lit=Who is like El od, translit=Mīḵāʾēl; el, Μιχαήλ, translit=Mikhaḗl; la, Michahel; ar, ميخائيل ، مِيكَالَ ، ميكائيل, translit=Mīkāʾīl, Mīkāl, Mīkhāʾīl), also ...

appeared to the Norman Count

Roger I of Sicily Roger I ( it, Ruggero I, Arabic: ''رُجار'', ''Rujār''; Maltese: ''Ruġġieru'', – 22 June 1101), nicknamed Roger Bosso and The Great, was a Norman nobleman who became the first Count of Sicily from 1071 to 1101. He was a member of the ...

helping him to conquer Palermo, at that time an Islamic bastion. It was completed in 1131, a year after the incoronation of

Roger II Roger II ( it, Ruggero II; 22 December 1095 – 26 February 1154) was King of Sicily and Africa, son of Roger I of Sicily and successor to his brother Simon. He began his rule as Count of Sicily in 1105, became Duke of Apulia and Calabria in ...

as first King of Sicily. The construction was supervised by the admiral George of Antioch, the most powerful man of the Kingdom after Roger II. The bridge had the function to connect the capital to the royal gardens located across the Oreto River, like the Favara Park. Even now, the structure represents a symbol connecting the historic centre to the peripheral quarter of

Brancaccio Brancaccio is a neighbourhood in the municipality of Palermo, Sicily, in Italy. It is a semi-traditional area of the working class. It was important in the history of the Cosa Nostra. Antimafia priest Pino Puglisi Giuseppe "Pino" Puglisi (, ; ...

. In the

Middle Ages In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the late 5th to the late 15th centuries, similar to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire ...

the

Oreto Valley The Oreto is a river in Sicily. Its source is located between Altofonte and Monreale, a few kilometers from Palermo. It gives the name to the Oreto Valley and crosses the south-east portion of the city before flowing into the Tyrrhenian Sea. ...

was rich in flora, especially date palm. A great "'' dattileto''" stood near the bridge, but it was destroyed in 1314 – during the long-lasting war between the dynasties of

Anjou Anjou may refer to: Geography and titles France * County of Anjou, a historical county in France and predecessor of the Duchy of Anjou **Count of Anjou, title of nobility *Duchy of Anjou, a historical duchy and later a province of France **Duk ...

and

Barcelona Barcelona ( , , ) is a city on the coast of northeastern Spain. It is the capital and largest city of the autonomous community of Catalonia, as well as the second most populous municipality of Spain. With a population of 1.6 million within ci ...

- by the Count of

Marzano Marzano is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Pavia in the Italian region Lombardy, located about 25 km southeast of Milan and about 14 km northeast of Pavia. Marzano borders the following municipalities: Ceranova, Lardira ...

, ally of

Robert of Anjou Robert of Anjou ( it, Roberto d'Angiò), known as Robert the Wise ( it, Roberto il Saggio; 1276 – 20 January 1343), was King of Naples, titular King of Jerusalem and Count of Provence and Forcalquier from 1309 to 1343, the central figure of Ita ...

King of Naples The following is a list of rulers of the Kingdom of Naples, from its first separation from the Kingdom of Sicily to its merger with the same into the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies. Kingdom of Naples (1282–1501) House of Anjou In 1382, the Kin ...

. In the following centuries, besides the agriculture, the Oreto Valley became a place of manufacturing for sugar cane, paper and other production activities. The profitable production of sugar led to the creation of vast plantations of sugar cane and also to a massive deforestation in certain zones of the

Conca d'Oro Conca may refer to: Places France *Conca, Corse-du-Sud, a municipality of Corsica Italy * Conca (river), a river that flows into the Adriatic Sea *Conca della Campania, a municipality of the Province of Caserta * Conca Casale, a municipality of ...

. This problem represented the first reason for the series of floods that hit the city during the last few centuries. Nodari Giuseppe, I mille attraversano il ponte Ammiraglio di Palermo

Nodari Giuseppe, I mille attraversano il ponte Ammiraglio di Palermo

Since then, the bridge has been repeatedly damaged by flooding of the river. For this reason, as long ago as 1775, an attempt was made to divert the river. However, it was not until 1938 that the Oreto was definitely diverted and canalized. Seven years before, in February 1931, Palermo had been plagued by a terrible

flood A flood is an overflow of water ( or rarely other fluids) that submerges land that is usually dry. In the sense of "flowing water", the word may also be applied to the inflow of the tide. Floods are an area of study of the discipline hydrol ...

. Thanks to its strategic position, on 27 May 1860, the bridge was the place of a famous battle between the ''Red Shirts'' of Giuseppe Garibaldi and the army of the

House of Bourbon-Two Sicilies The House of Bourbon-Two Sicilies is a cadet branch of the Spanish Bourbons that ruled Southern Italy and Sicily for more than a century in the 18th and 19th centuries. It descends from the Capetian dynasty in legitimate male line through Phili ...

during the

Expedition of the Thousand The Expedition of the Thousand ( it, Spedizione dei Mille) was an event of the Italian Risorgimento that took place in 1860. A corps of volunteers led by Giuseppe Garibaldi sailed from Quarto, near Genoa (now Quarto dei Mille) and landed in Mars ...

. In 2015, it became a

as part of a series of nine civil and religious structures inscribed as Arab-Norman Palermo and the Cathedral Churches of Cefalù and Monreale.

References

External links

Official site of Arab-Norman Palermo and the Cathedral Churches of Cefalù and Monreale
* {{in lang, it}

Arab-Norman architecture in Palermo Ammiraglio Ammiraglio Tourist attractions in Palermo Buildings and structures completed in 1131 World Heritage Sites in Italy Arab-Norman Palermo and the Cathedral Churches of Cefalù and Monreale

History

See also

References

External links