• THE BRIDGE ON THE RIVER RENO

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• It is likely that Etruscans and Romans had already built a bridge on the river Reno. The first documents date back to 110, when “gli Anziani” (the elderly) of Bologna financed the maintenance of the “Gran Fabbricato” (the big building) of Casalecchio bridge. The historian Abate Trombelli said that the very old sandstone bridge was decorated with brick merlons. During those years the bridge was owned by the monks of Santa Maria del Reno, who kept it renovated following their “spirit of charity”, as they did in 1296, when an extraordinary flood reached the height of the bridge, breaking two arches. Amongst several battles, the most violent took place on the bridge on the 26th of July 1402, remembered as the battle of Casalecchio, showing the population of Bologna against the supporters of Duke Giangaleazzo Visconti. The first important extension was done between 1843 and 1846. Around the half of the 19th century, it was a beautiful and monumental building. The bridge had a medieval style, with unequal arcades, and it showed a steep slope of the street. During that period, the bridge was owned by the Pontifical Government. The bridge, which at the beginning was large 4 metres, was always enlarged and embellished by the several administrations of the province of Bologna. In 1882, in order to let the tramway pass through Casalecchio and Bologna, the bridge was enlarged again by about 2 more metres. A bad moment was during June 1944 and April 1945: after the bombardments of the Allied, the bridge turned to be a pile of rubble. At the end of 1946, the new bridge was officially open again. Today it is large more than 19 metres, without mentioning the sidewalks.