The Ponte Girevole is certainly the most famous symbol of the city of Taranto. The association Taranto-Ponte Girevole is practically automatic, a bit like Rome-Colosseum, Paris-Eiffel Tower, London-Big Ben, Amsterdam… well, you get the idea.
Let’s see how the Ponte Girevole works and briefly (yes, briefly) retrace the stages of its construction.
First of all, it consists of an imposing metal structure that crosses the navigable canal connecting the Island of the Old Town with the Borgo Nuovo.
The waters that the bridge overlooks are ploughed daily by the small boats of the fishermen from Taranto. In ancient times there was a real isthmus to join the two banks. This stretch of land connected the acropolis of the city (today "Old Town") with the rest of the town, located in the current Borgo Nuovo, but was then removed at the end of the 15th century to protect the Aragonese Castle from attack by the enemies.Attending the opening of the Ponte Girevole is really a singular spectacle, all the more so considering that it only happens to allow the passage of large ships into the Mar Piccolo or from this to the Mar Grande.
An extraordinary opening is planned also in May for the transit of the suggestive maritime procession dedicated to the Patron Saint of Taranto, San Cataldo. The Ponte Girevole is divided in two halves. The action of the gears separates them one from the other and makes them rotate on one side alternately: first the one closest to the island is moved, then the one connected to the new village.
At the end of the manoeuvre, which lasts about three minutes, the two halves of the Ponte Girevole turn towards the Mar Piccolo and are wide open like the arms of a relative welcoming you into the house. The new village is temporarily separated from the old one and the city breaks up like a biscuit.
