The Castel Vecchio 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 di Castel Vecchio'') or Scaliger Bridge (Italian: ''Ponte Scaligero'') is a fortified

bridge A bridge is a structure built to span a physical obstacle (such as a body of water, valley, road, or rail) without blocking the way underneath. It is constructed for the purpose of providing passage over the obstacle, which is usually someth ...

Verona Verona ( , ; vec, Verona or ) is a city on the Adige River in Veneto, Italy, with 258,031 inhabitants. It is one of the seven provincial capitals of the region. It is the largest city municipality in the region and the second largest in nor ...

, northern

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical ...

, over the

Adige River The Adige (; german: Etsch ; vec, Àdexe ; rm, Adisch ; lld, Adesc; la, Athesis; grc, Ἄθεσις, Áthesis, or , ''Átagis'') is the second-longest river in Italy, after the Po. It rises near the Reschen Pass in the Vinschgau in the pr ...

. The segmental arch bridge featured the world's largest span at the time of its construction (48.70 m).

History

It was built (most likely in 1354-1356) by

Cangrande II della Scala Cangrande II della Scala (7 June 1332Gian Maria Varaninidella Scala, Cangrande '' DBI'', Volume XXXVII (1989), Istituto dell'Enciclopedia Italiana Treccani – 14 December 1359) was Lord of Verona from 1351 until his death. In 1351, after t ...

, to grant him a safe way of escape from the annexed eponymous castle in the event of a rebellion of the population against his tyrannic rule. The solidity of the construction allowed it to resist untouched until, in the late 18th century, the French troops destroyed the tower on the left bank (although it probably dated from the occupation of Verona by the

Visconti Visconti is a surname which may refer to: Italian noble families * Visconti of Milan, ruled Milan from 1277 to 1447 ** Visconti di Modrone, collateral branch of the Visconti of Milan * Visconti of Pisa and Sardinia, ruled Gallura in Sardinia from ...

or the

Republic of Venice The Republic of Venice ( vec, Repùblega de Venèsia) or Venetian Republic ( vec, Repùblega Vèneta, links=no), traditionally known as La Serenissima ( en, Most Serene Republic of Venice, italics=yes; vec, Serenìsima Repùblega de Venèsia ...

). The bridge was however totally destroyed, along with the Ponte Pietra, by the retreating German troops on April 24, 1945. The bridge's reconstruction by architect

Libero Cecchini Libero Cecchini (28 September 1919 – 20 April 2020) was an Italian architect. He specialized in restoration of monuments and the design of residential complexes. Biography Cecchini was born in Pastrengo into a family of stonemasons. He studie ...

began in 1949 and completed in 1951, with the exception of the left tower.

Architecture

The bridge is in red brick in the upper part, as are all landmarks in Verona from the

Scaliger The Della Scala family, whose members were known as Scaligeri () or Scaligers (; from the Latinized ''de Scalis''), was the ruling family of Verona and mainland Veneto (except for Venice) from 1262 to 1387, for a total of 125 years. History Wh ...

era, and in white marble in the lower one. It includes three spans of decreasing length starting from pentagonal towers. The largest span, measuring 48.70 m, meant that the bridge featured at the time of its construction the world's largest bridge arch (the others measure 29.15 and 24.11 meters). The two pylons are 12.10 x 19.40 and 6.30 x 17.30 meters respectively. The bridge has a total length of 120 m.

Legends

According to a legend, Cangrande awarded the designer of the bridge, Guglielmo Bevilacqua, with a sword which had belonged to Saint Martin. Another legend tells that the designer presented himself at the inauguration riding a horse, ready to flee away in case the bridge had crumbled down.

External links

* * {{Authority control Buildings and structures completed in 1356 Bridges completed in the 14th century Bridges in Italy Arch bridges Bridges in Verona Tourist attractions in Verona Transport in Verona

History

Architecture

Legends

See also

External links