Ponte Mosca, Turin

The Ponte Mosca is one of the oldest bridges in Turin. And it certainly is the very first stone bridge built on the Dora Riparia river. It is rather simple but due to its solidity, it looks really monumental. At one time this bridge was the peak of technological advancement.

History of the bridge

At the beginning of the 19th-century, people who arrived here from Milan crossed the Dora River only by using a wooden bridge and by fording. In 1807, Napoleon Bonaparte decided to create a new crossing. At the end of the Napoleonic era, this idea appeared appealing to the local government. In 1818 the authorities developed a project to create a bridge. It was supposed to become some kind of a city gate and therefore had to look presentable. In 1823 the first stone was laid. The engineer and architect Carlo Bernardo Mosca took on the implementation of the grandiose project.

By the way, the bridge has been carrying the name of its creator since 1868. It is not a surprise since even back then he was quite famous, and participated in designing of some of the halls in the Royal Palace of Turin. The works lasted for 7 years with some interruptions; during this time the riverbed was given a more straight shape, the shores had their curves artificially removed. The bridge was opened on August 15, 1830. Located on the edge of Turin, it became the decoration of the city entrance.

Bridge design and legend

At the time of its opening, the bridge was considered a futuristic structure – that’s how advanced construction technology applied to it was. Many admired this structure, many grew wary about it. They did not trust the courageous decisions of the engineer and believed that the bridge could collapse at any time. A legend came to existence because of it. According to it, the creator of the bridge put himself and his family in a boat right under the stone structure during its opening to prove it was safe.

The bridge has one arch which is located quite low – it is only 4.5 high. The length of the whole structure including the exits is 129 m, the bridge itself is 45 m. The width of the bridge is 13.7 m, and the roadway is 8.9 meters wide. The sidewalks were made of Cumiana stone, the pavement on the roadway has survived till this day. Now the bridge has two lanes, tram tracks are put along with it. There are LEDs that provide illumination in the dark installed on the sides of the bridge.

How to get

Now that the city has grown bigger, and the bridge is no longer situated on the edge, but much closer to the center of Turin, in the Aurora district. It is a part of the Corso Giulio Cesare street. The Ponte Carpanini and Dora Park are located upstream. The public transport stop called Emilia can be found nearby. It can be reached by tram № 4, and buses № 11, 50, 51, 92, N04.