Monastry of Santa Maria del Lavello
History, culture, art and religion on the banks of the Adda river
The San Michele Bridge in Paderno d’Adda, also known as Paderno Bridge, connects the towns of Paderno D’Adda and Calusco d’Adda, as well as the provinces of Lecco and Bergamo. This incredible feat of engineering carries both rail and road traffic over a distance of 266 metres.
The San Michele Bridge was built between 1887 and 1889 by the Società Nazionale delle Officine Savigliano to a design by the Swiss engineer Rothlisberger. It remains to this day one of the largest arch bridges in the world. A proposal to include it on the UNESCO World Heritage list was put forward in December 2021.
With its net-like structure, the bridge was a masterpiece of Italian civil engineering of the late 19th century. The elegance of its proportions, the precision of the design and its successful construction are proof of the steel industry’s progress in that period.
The San Michele Bridge is today a symbol of industrial archaeology in Italy and one of the most significant achievements of Italian engineering in the 19th century. It is impressive evidence of an era when materials such as steel and iron were at the forefront of human and technological progress.
