Hannibal's Bridge, Rapallo, Italy

Hannibal's Bridge (Ponte Annibale) is apparently one of the oldest structures in Rapallo. This bridge was possibly used by Carthaginian commander Hannibal during his campaign against Rome in the second Punic War, where he possibly unloaded supplies on the Tigullia coast (region from Portofino to Anzo di Framura). The bridge could also be connected to the Battle of Trebbia (218 BC).

The structure's name first appears in a notary deed dated April 7, 1049, where it is claimed that 'Rainaldo donated some land near the bridge to the Genovese Church of Santa Maria di Castello'.

The bridge was renovated in 1733 after widespread flooding. Ninety years later, after the Kingdom of Sardinia had annexed all of Liguria, the final section of the creek that the bridge spanned was diverted to construct a new road to Santa Margherita. Today, the overgrown bridge is closed off to the public but is visibly located in downtown Rapallo, crossing over the Corso Cristoforo Colombo thoroughfare to Santa Margherita.

References:

Wikipedia

User Reviews

JEAN PAUL AMBROSIO (2 years ago)
Rapallo ville de bord de mer, parfait endroit pour visiter portofino et les 5 terres.

Lory Demartini (2 years ago)
Attribuito erroneamente ad Annibale,l'antico ponte in stile Romano,e' un pezzo di storia.Il piu' antico atto che da' notizia del ponte,e' del 7 aprile 1049.Tratta di una donazione dove Rainaldo dono' alla chiesa di Santa Maria di Castello i beni che possedeva a Rapallo tra cui le terre che si trovavano intorno al ponte.A causa di numerose alluvioni il ponte venne riparato e ristrutturato nel 1733....Novant'anni piu' tardi,nel 1823,si decise di deviare il torrente Boate nel tratto finale,per realizzare una nuova strada carrozzabile per Santa Margherita.Per questo motivo oggi il ponte rimane un opera da ammirare x la sua linea e x le antiche pietre.

gio olmi (2 years ago)
Ben segnalata la sua particolarità storica e ben tenuto ..peccato sia un punto nevralgico x il traffico(velocità auto,manovre grandi mezzi x centrare l'altezza giusta dell'arcata)e per l'attraversamento dei pedoni.. Non è certo "colpa" del monumento ma riduce il tempo dedicato alla sua "ammirazione"! Risolvo guardandolo da via Marco Polo,vedendolo " entrare"sul retro di un giardino privato,con fiori e voli di tortore!

Enrico Knoll (4 years ago)
You can't cross the old bridge...

Jason Freeman (4 years ago)
The bridge itself is very impressive but the location is not very attractive because it is too closed in with buildings to appreciate the structure. Also you cannot walk on the bridge. The sign board is not very helpful as it does not explain actual history of the bridge very well. For example it could talk about when it might date from given the design of the bridge and the materials used, and where the route it is on actually led to. In this regard the description on the Commune di Rapallo website is better. There is instead a lengthy discussion about the early tribes that lived in the area at the time of Hannibal, which is irrelevant since clearly Hannibal did not built this bridge. Further it is unlikely that the Teguli derived their name from a type of tile as the sign board claims, and more likely that the type of tile tool its name from them. It would be better to describe when the bridge was first associated with Hannibal and why.

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Pembroke Castle is a Norman castle, founded in 1093. It survived many changes of ownership and is now the largest privately owned castle in Wales. It was the birthplace of Henry Tudor (later Henry VII of England) in 1457.

Pembroke Castle stands on a site that has been occupied at least since the Roman period. Roger de Montgomerie, 1st Earl of Shrewsbury founded the first castle here in the 11th century. Although only made from earth and wood, Pembroke Castle resisted several Welsh attacks and sieges over the next 30 years. The castle was established at the heart of the Norman-controlled lands of southwest Wales.

When William Rufus died, Arnulf de Montgomery joined his elder brother, Robert of Bellême, in rebellion against Henry I, William's brother and successor as king; when the rebellion failed, he was forced to forfeit all his British lands and titles. Henry appointed his castellan, but when the chosen ally turned out to be incompetent, the King reappointed Gerald in 1102. By 1138 King Stephen had given Pembroke Castle to Gilbert de Clare who used it as an important base in the Norman invasion of Ireland.

In August 1189 Richard I arranged the marriage of Isabel, de Clare's granddaughter, to William Marshal who received both the castle and the title, Earl of Pembroke. He had the castle rebuilt in stone and established the great keep at the same time. Marshal was succeeded in turn by each of his five sons. His third son, Gilbert Marshal, was responsible for enlarging and further strengthening the castle between 1234 and 1241.

Later de Valence family held Pembroke for 70 years. During this time, the town was fortified with defensive walls, three main gates and a postern. Pembroke Castle became de Valence's military base for fighting the Welsh princes during the conquest of North Wales by Edward I between 1277 and 1295.

Pembroke Castle then reverted to the crown. In the 15th and 16th centuries, the castle was a place of peace until the outbreak of the English Civil War. Although most of South Wales sided with the King, Pembroke declared for Parliament. It was besieged by Royalist troops but was saved after Parliamentary reinforcements arrived by sea from nearby Milford Haven. Parliamentary forces then went on to capture the Royalist castles of Tenby, Haverfordwest and Carew.

In 1648, at the beginning of the Second Civil War, Pembroke's commander Colonel John Poyer led a Royalist uprising. Oliver Cromwell came to Pembroke on 24 May 1648 and took the castle after a seven-week siege. Its three leaders were found guilty of treason and Cromwell ordered the castle to be destroyed. Townspeople were even encouraged to disassemble the fortress and re-use its stone for their purposes.

The castle was then abandoned and allowed to decay. It remained in ruins until 1880, when a three-year restoration project was undertaken. Nothing further was done until 1928, when Major-General Sir Ivor Philipps acquired the castle and began an extensive restoration of the castle's walls, gatehouses, and towers. After his death, a trust was set up for the castle, jointly managed by the Philipps family and Pembroke town council.

Architecture

The castle is sited on a strategic rocky promontory by the Milford Haven Waterway. The first fortification on the site was a Norman motte-and-bailey. It had earthen ramparts and a timber palisade.

In 1189, Pembroke Castle was acquired by William Marshal. He soon became Lord Marshal of England, and set about turning the earth and wood fort into an impressive Norman stone castle. The inner ward, which was constructed first, contains the huge round keep with its domed roof. Its original first-floor entrance was through an external stairwell. Inside, a spiral staircase connected its four stories. The keep's domed roof also has several putlog holes that supported a wooden fighting-platform. If the castle was attacked, the hoarding allowed defenders to go out beyond the keep's massive walls above the heads of the attackers.

The inner ward's curtain wall had a large horseshoe-shaped gateway. But only a thin wall was required along the promontory. This section of the wall has a small observation turret and a square stone platform. Domestic buildings including William Marshal's Great Hall and private apartments were within the inner ward. The 13th century keep is 23 metres tall with walls up to 6 metres thick at its base.

In the late 13th century, additional buildings were added to the inner ward, including a new Great Hall. A 55-step spiral staircase was also created that led down to a large limestone cave, known as Wogan Cavern, beneath the castle. The cave, which was created by natural water erosion, was fortified with a wall, a barred gateway and arrowslits. It may have served as a boathouse or a sallyport to the river where cargo or people could have been transferred.

The outer ward was defended by a large twin-towered gatehouse, a barbican and several round towers. The outer wall is 5 metres thick in places and constructed from Siltstone ashlar.

Although Pembroke Castle is a Norman-style enclosure castle with great keep, it can be more accurately described as a linear fortification because, like the later 13th-century castles at Caernarfon and Conwy, it was built on a rocky promontory surrounded by water. This meant that attacking forces could only assault on a narrow front. Architecturally, Pembroke's thickest walls and towers are all concentrated on its landward side facing the town, with Pembroke River providing a natural defense around the rest of its perimeter.

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