L'Italo-Americano

www.italoamericano.org 10 THURSDAY, JANUARY 21, 2021 L'Italo-Americano B r i d g e s a r e quite a wonder. We take them f o r g r a n t e d , driving or bik- ing or walking across with n a r y a t h o u g h t o f w h a t a c o m p l e x s t r u c t u r e l i e s beneath us, supporting and safely transporting to the other side. Imagine, if you can, a world without bridges. Brooklyn wouldn't have its Manhattan, San Francisco w o u l d n ' t h a v e i t s M a r i n County, and Florence would be one-less a fabulous land- mark…not to mention that huge inconveniences we'd suffer. Practical and often works of art, these structures have literally bridged the way for ease of travel, commerce, a n d i n t h e c a s e o f t h e Romans…conquering. Early Romans certainly didn't invent bridges, but proper credit due would say they did more to perfect and refine large bridge engineer- ing than any civilization thus far. In fact, a 1990s survey conducted by Italian scholar Vittorio Galliazzo docu- mented 931 surviving (whole or partial) Roman bridges in 26 countries, all once a part of the vast Roman Empire. It does give pause as to why many of our modern bridges need replaced every 50 years or so. R o m a n e m p e r o r s w e r e under a lot of pressure to enlarge the Empire during their reign. Expanding road- w a y s w a s a g r e a t t o o l f o r facilitating conquering while paving (quite literally) the way for better trade and com- merce -- and many a bridge over troubled waters had to b e b u i l t i n t h e p r o c e s s . Borrowing on Greek knowl- edge, along with their own accrued skills for large scale construction, guilds of engi- neers and thinkers formulat- ed revolutionary techniques of which the results are still seen, and used, today. Roman bridges such as Rome's Pons Fabricius, built in 62 AD, are still in use t o d a y . T h e s e c r e t t o t h i s longevity? Let's just say that arches did for Roman bridge construction what they've done for the contemporary hamburger industry. Roman arch design featured stone butted against stone, sans struction fashion. Imagine a huge barrel looking structure o f w o o d e n p i l e s ( u s u a l l y stripped trees) driven into the bottom of the river or stream, bound together and waterproofed with clay or tar. Water was pumped out, leav- ing a dry working surface. Once the bridge supports were in place, the plug was pulled and the piers stood p r o u d l y , a w a i t i n g t h e i r crowning of a bridge. We might not be able to literally step back in time, but thanks to the Romans' mas- tery of bridge building, we are able to take a step, or even a car ride, onto history. O f c o u r s e , n o t a l l i n - u s e Roman bridges are found in Italy. Remember, the Roman E m p i r e w a s p r e t t y m u c h most of the ancient Western a n d M i d - E a s t e r n w o r l d . However, as you dream of your post-Covid Italian trav- els, you might want to ear- mark a few of these glorious structures of Roman inge- niousness. Ponte di Tiberio still s t a n d s p r o u d l y o v e r t h e M a r e c c h i a R i v e r i n Rimini, its five impressive arches mirroring pleasing reflections as they have for t h e p a s t 2 0 0 0 y e a r s . Emperor Augustus decreed that the stalwart bridge be constructed in the year 14 AD, its purpose to ensure the Via Emilia could continue northward. However, Roman bridges weren't built in a day and by the time of its comple- tion in 21 AD, Tiberius ruled. Still visible on the inner para- pet is the inscription "Given by both emperors." Like a seasoned soldier, this bridge could spin many a tale of sur- vival if its stones could talk. The German army blew up e v e r y b r i d g e o v e r t h e Marecchia except this one; the attached dynamite failed to detonate and the bridge s u r v i v e d . I n n u m e r a b l e floods, earthquakes, wars, and the ravages of time have left only scars here and there. Next time you're in Rimini, grab a gelato and take a stroll or a drive over this magnifi- cent bridge. M e n t i o n e d e a r l i e r , t h e ancient Pons Fabricius is still at the ready to escort pedestrians to and fro from Tiber Island to the mainland. Lucius Fabricius, a Roman road curator, headed up con- struction, and thus the bridge honors his name. However, Pons Fabricius took on a rather morbid nickname in t h e l a t e 1 6 t h c e n t u r y – Ponte dei Quattro Capi (Bridge of the Four Heads). The bridge was in need of restoration. The four archi- tects in charge squabbled endlessly on the how's and why's, but eventually the pro- mortar, in an angled fashion to create tensile strength. This, in turn, produced a steady pressure able to sup- port a tremendous load. The hollow of the arch also less- ened the weight of the struc- ture, as well as allowing pas- sage for water flow and ves- sels. Roman bridge construc- tion also incorporated poz- zolana, a type of concrete developed by the Romans that revolutionized construc- t i o n . R e m e m b e r t h e Pantheon? Pozzolana! The volcanic ash concrete also held up well under water, allowing Roman-built pilings to continue doing their uplift- ing job to this day. If you've e v e r s a u n t e r e d a c r o s s Florence's Ponte Vecchio, you have pozzolana to thank for the present-day opportu- nity. You might be wondering, though, how it was possible to set pilings of concrete and stone in water without the use of massive machinery or steel reinforcements. Roman ingenuity had an answer to that problem, as well: coffer- dams. They might not have been the first society to use them -- legend says that the Persians were hammering them into the Euphrates as f a r b a c k a s 5 3 9 B C – b u t Roman engineers certainly brought them back into con- ject was completed. Pope Sixtus V had his fill of the men's egos and ordered the f o u r b e h e a d e d . I n t h e i r honor, if we can call it that, a m e m o r i a l s t a t u e o f f o u r h e a d s w a s p l a c e d o n t h e bridge. Most likely an urban legend, no written history exists to support this tale of lost heads. And yes, the worn statue is still there. Although perhaps lesser k n o w n , A s c o l i P i c e n o ' s P o r t a S o l e s t à b r i d g e i s another impressive feat of bridge building still in service today. Spanning the Tronto River in southern Marche s i n c e t h e 1 s t c e n t u r y A D , l o c a l t r a v e r t i n e g i v e s t h e P o r t a S o l e s t à a r e g a l a p p e a r a n c e . R e m a r k a b l e then, and still remarkable today, for its single arch span of over 213 feet, the bridge also features a passable inte- r i o r o p e n o n c e a y e a r f o r experiencing. I spent time in Ascoli Piceno several years ago and walked daily across the bridge, sharing its 21-foot breadth with other pedestri- ans, bikes, and vehicles. Each p a s s a g e a w e d m e a s I thought of all that had gone before over this same path. T h e r e a r e n ' t t o o m a n y ancient structures other than Roman bridges that one can at-will touch, pause upon, walk across. Don't miss the chance. The Tiberius bridge, over the Marocchia River in Rimini (Photo: Nikolay Antonov/Dreamstime) ALL AROUND ITALY TRAVEL TIPS DESTINATIONS ACTIVITIES A Bridge to everywhere: the marvel of Roman bridges PAULA REYNOLDS

• Cover