Ponte dell'Ammiraglio - Palermo

The bridge was built between 1130 and 1140 by George of Antioch, admiral of King Roger, hence the name.

Not only was it the first monumental stone bridge built over the Oreto, but according to some documents it was also the first masonry bridge built in all of Europe.

Originally, the twelve pointed arch bridge spanned the Oreto River , which runs about 2 kilometers from the center of Palermo and flows into the Tyrrhenian Sea. It is precisely that structure, with very sharp arches, with smaller arches placed underneath, to relieve the pressure of the river water , that allowed the bridge to withstand very heavy loads . It is precisely thanks to this construction that the bridge even withstood the terrible flood that hit Palermo in 1931.

In 1938 the course of the river was diverted, so that today the Ponte dell'Ammiraglio stands in a park about 100 meters from the river. The bridge represented an element of great importance for the road network of that period, when Palermo could only be reached from the sea .

The structure consists of two ramps resting on five arches , interrupted by four smaller arches, all ogee-shaped and framed by flat ring nuts. Near this bridge, on the night of May 27, 1860, Garibaldi's troops defeated in a heavy battle the Bourbon troops who opposed their entry into the city.

Since July 2015, it has been among the monuments included in the Arab-Norman Itinerary, a UNESCO World Heritage Site .
​

Willem Vandenameele