Ponte Girevole (Taranto)

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Ponte Girevole in Taranto

The Ponte Girevole (ital., Eng. Rotating bridge, also called swing bridge of Taranto ) connects the old town with the new town of Taranto and was inaugurated on May 22nd, 1887 by Admiral Ferdinando Acton . The bridge was built over a 400 m long and 73 m wide navigable canal that connects the Mar Grande with the Mar Piccolo .

The swing bridge is now almost 90 m long and 9 m wide. It was built according to the project of the engineer Giuseppe Messina. Initially, it consisted of a large arch made of wood and metal, divided into two beams that rotated independently around a vertical bolt. All this worked with the help of hydraulic turbines , which were operated by a water tank filled with 600 m³, which was located on the nearby Aragonese castle . The Italian poet Gabriele D'Annunzio dedicated a sonnet to this bridge in 1911:

“Passan so le belle navi pronte
per entrar nella darsena sicura
volta la poppa al ionico orizzonte. "
“That's how beautiful ships go
with the stern facing the Ionian horizon
into the safe harbor basin. "

The structure was then modernized in 1957–1958 and is now operated electrically. The new bridge was inaugurated on March 10, 1958 by the then President of the Italian Republic Giovanni Gronchi and named after the patron saint of the seafarers Franz von Paola .

The swing bridge is serviced periodically. The opening and maintenance are the responsibility of the Italian Navy : the passage of the large military ships with their crew on deck is a very evocative moment for family and friends who greet from the seafront. The opening procedure, which takes about three minutes, divides Taranto into two parts.

The swing bridge is the most important symbol or landmark of the city of Taranto .

See also

Web links

Commons : Ponte Girevole  - Collection of images, videos and audio files

Coordinates: 40 ° 28 '23.3 "  N , 17 ° 14' 7.2"  E