Strada Statale 45 to Gardesana Occidentale

Strada statale SS45 to Italy
Gardesana Occidentale
map
Basic data
Operator:	ANAS , Autonomous Province of Trento
Start of the street:	former Strada Statale 11 near Rezzato ( 45 ° 30 ′  N , 10 ° 19 ′  E )
End of street:	Strada Statale 12 near Trento ( 46 ° 5 ′  N , 11 ° 7 ′  E )
Overall length:	154.160 km
Regions :	Lombardy , Trentino-South Tyrol
Tunnel near Gargnano
Course of the road Brescia Province former at Rezzato Salò Gardone Riviera Toscolano Maderno Gargnano Limone sul Garda Autonomous Province of Trento Riva del Garda Arco near Trento  Map with all coordinates: OSM | WikiMap map

The Strada Statale 45 bis (short SS 45 bis ) or Gardesana Occidentale is an Italian state road that connects the two cities of Rezzato and Trento and runs along the western shore of Lake Garda from Salò to Riva del Garda . The road originally began in Cremona . However, the section from Cremona to Rezzato was downgraded to Strada Provinciale 45 bis ( SP 45 bis for short ) in 2001 and has since been administered by the Lombardy region.

The section between Gargnano and Riva del Garda is particularly well known. It was opened in 1931 and is still considered a masterpiece of street construction today. Originally there were over 70 tunnel and gallery structures in this section of the route.

history

Tunnel construction between Gargnano and Riva del Garda (1928–1931)

The need for a road connection between the western Lake Garda region and Trentino was discussed as early as 1845, at a time when both Lombardy and Veneto were still in the hands of the Habsburgs. The demarcation at Limone that existed from 1859 to 1919 and the animosity between Italy and the Danube Monarchy, however, hampered the construction of a cross-border road system in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

After the end of the First World War, the border conditions had changed and the Italian state was very interested in the development of the shores of Lake Garda for military reasons. In 1928 the “Consorzio Interprovinciale per la Strada Gargnano-Riva” was founded. The state promised a 60 percent subsidy for the expected road construction costs. The work began in February 1928 and was completed in September 1931 despite the difficult terrain. There were twelve dead to mourn. The grand opening finally took place on October 18, 1931.

During the Second World War, several tunnels and galleries of the Gardesana Occidentale served as armaments factories. From autumn 1943 until the end of the war in 1945, weapons, spare parts and aircraft engines were built there for the German war economy , code name Condor .

It was not until the 1950s that the Gardesana Occidentale developed into the well-known “dream street” due to the upward trend in tourism. For reasons of traffic safety, however, the road layout was changed in some sections in the course of its existence and some short tunnels were replaced by a few long ones. These road sections, some of which are very well preserved, are largely still accessible on foot today, or B. the connecting road to Campione - to be traveled by bike.

course

View from the road to Pieve to the Gardesana and the village of Campione

The Gardesana Occidentale begins south of Rezzato on the former Strada Statale 11 Padana Superiore . From its starting point (km 47.948) it runs north-east past Mazzano and Gavardo to Salò on Lake Garda. Then the road leads along the western shore of the lake to Gardone Riviera , Toscolano-Maderno , Gargnano and Limone sul Garda .

After Limone, at km 106.848, the road leaves Lombardy and enters the autonomous region of Trentino-South Tyrol. In the further course of the route are the places Riva del Garda and Arco . In Trento, the Gardesana Occidentale ends at Strada Statale 12 dell'Abetone e del Brennero (km 202.108).

State of development

The Gardesana Occidentale has a two-lane road cross - section for almost the entire length of the route . Only shortly before Trento is the road expanded to four lanes. Most of the junctions and junctions are at the same height . Due to the sometimes difficult terrain, the route has numerous retaining walls as well as tunnels and gallery structures . Most of these structures are located in the section between Salò and Riva del Garda.

Trivia

For the opening sequence of the film James Bond 007: A Quantum of Solace , parts of the chase between Gargnano and Riva del Garda were filmed in spring 2008. After a car stunt at the beginning of the film, the crew immortalized themselves on a section of road with the "BOND" insignia. The Gardesana Occidentale had to be partially closed to public traffic. Due to the persistently bad weather on the days of shooting, most of the scenes were created in gallery buildings.

See also

• Gardesana Orientale
• List of state roads in Italy

literature

• Giovanni Negri: La memoria del lago. Il Garda del fotografo Negri , Grafo-Verlag, 2003, ISBN 88-7385-579-2 , p. 200 ff.

Web links

Commons : Strada Statale 45 to Gardesana Occidentale  - Collection of images, videos and audio files

• Lake Garda - the eternal dream of the south. Der Spiegel on February 17, 2004, accessed on June 20, 2017.

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Giorgio Danilo Cocconcelli: Tunnel Factories - Le Officine Caproni Aeronautiche e Fiat nell'Alto Garda from 1943 to 1945 . 2002, ISBN 88-87261-11-3 , pp. 67 .
2. ↑ Google Streetview of restoration of protective wall with letter "BOND". Accessed August 2018 . 
3. ↑ Bond filming in Italy . Der Spiegel on April 21, 2008, accessed June 20, 2017.