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PALLADIO AND THE VENETO | Bridge at Bassano - Bassano del Grappa - (1569) | ||||||||||||||||
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In October 1567 the vigorous flood waters of the river Brenta swept away the historic bridge, a roofed timber structure on piles, which had formed the primary communicating route between Bassano and Vicenza. Palladio, who was involved in its reconstruction process right from the months immediately after the collapse, initially proposed a bridge completely different from its precedent, with three arches in stone according to the model of ancient Roman bridges. However, the city council rejected the project and prohibited the architect from departing too much from the scheme of the traditional structure. In the summer of 1569, therefore, Palladio presented his definitive project for a bridge which repeated the preceding structure in all its essentials, even if radically innovative in terms of its technical and statical solutions, as well as of great visual impact. The sole appeal to a purely architectural language are the Tuscan columns used to support the architrave that bears the roof. Confirming the technological efficiency of Palladio’s structure is the fact that the bridge stood fast for almost another two centuries. It was only reconstructed according to Palladio’s design after another destructive flood in 1748, and the same would occur after its most recent demolition by German troops during World War II. |
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