Pont Du Gard - L'acquedotto dei 5 euro 🇫🇷 Francia

Wisely integrated into the surrounding landscape, which has retained its primitive charm, the Ponte del Gard seduces with its elegance and grandeur. At a distance of 2,000 years, this ancient building remains still today a real masterpiece, both in terms of beauty and technical mastery. This prestigious monument was built in a splendid location, at the end of the Galle del Fiume Gardon. Designed to bring water through the valley of the Gardon, it was part of an aqueduct almost 50 km long, which transported water from the springs near Jus, up to the Gallo-Roman city of Nemausus, today's Nîmes. The enchanting place draws its magical power from the natural elements that surround it, the rocky spherones of limestone, the water of the river and the lush Mediterranean vegetation. In this part of the Gardon, in fact, nature is omnipresent. The architects and the Roman hydraulic technicians who designed this bridge have given life to an artistic and technical masterpiece. The Gardon bridge is almost 50 metres high and has three levels. The longest arch measures 275 metres. Built over 2,000 years ago, in 19 BC, this bridge has become one of the symbols of the power of ancient Rome. It was built without using malt. The stones that make up the aqueduct, some of which reach 6 tonnes, are held together by iron pullers. It has been calculated that 50,400 tonnes of stone, equal to 21,000 cubic metres, have been used to build this bridge. Once completed, the aqueduct would have allowed the population of Nîmes to receive plenty of water. However, some obstacles, difficult to overcome, came along the way. The ultimate project and the final decision about the place where the aqueduct would be built were the result of a compromise between different physical, technical and financial constraints. The bridge is made up of three series of arches. The first two are made up of 6 and 11 arches, typical of Roman overhangs. The arches measure between 15 and 24 metres. The third arch has 47 arches, for a total length of 490 metres, above which the aqueduct's channel runs. To complete this colossal project, it would take five years. The entire aqueduct has a slope of 34 centimetres per kilometre and a slope of only 17 metres along its entire length. It has a daily flow of 20,000 cubic metres of water. We do not know the name of the architect who designed this monument. It has only one inscription in Latin, mens totum corium, on one of the lower pylons, which simply means that the entire structure has been measured. The new bridge had to be anchored firmly to the ground to resist the force of the river's current. The support pylons were then planted in the stone under the banks of the river Gardonne and shaped to resist the force of the current. The monument still retains the traces of the rational organisation of the project. The stones have been numbered and the fixing points of the bridges and the devices for the lifting of the loads are still visible. The aqueduct experienced its best period in the second and third centuries AD. Due to the scarcity of resources, the ordinary maintenance was abandoned in the fourth century. It was definitively abandoned at the beginning of the sixth century. The aqueduct was restored for the first time in the 18th century. Subsequently, it was restored again under the reign of Napoleon III in the middle of the 19th century. Under the guidance of Emperor Augustus, the Roman Empire extended its borders along the Mediterranean developing a flourishing economy. Numerous and imposing engineering projects were undertaken, including the construction of aqueducts in Italy and in the propagandas of the empire, including the bridge of the Gard. The construction of this bridge met precise civil and political requirements. A good supply of running water was, in fact, an extremely important political instrument. The population remained faithful to Rome and accepted to live in a colony. The territory around the bridge of the Gard in 1930 was declared a protected natural area by a national law. After the recent restoration, which interested the magnificent surrounding natural territory for a total of 165 hectares of Mediterranean marsh, the monument appears to be quite imposing. The place is now a protected natural area and is forbidden to the circulation of motor vehicles. Along the banks of the river grows a dense marsh vegetation typical of the place, known as garriga. It is characterized by evergreen shrubs, low and thin shrubs, herbs and agricultural land enclosed by stone walls. The bridge boasts a mural work of surprising quality. Very soon it became a mandatory stop for the French bricklayers who, moving around the country, stopped to admire it. Many of them engraved their name on the bridge's stones. These artisans and artists were also called Compagnons du Tour de France, a French association founded in the Middle Ages that still exists to this day. Their traditional technical training included educational journeys across the country, the so-called Tour de France, and a period of apprenticeship with various master artisans and experts. In 1998, the Pont des Gardes was the scene of a severe flood that damaged the entire area. The road that leads to the bridge and the nearby structures were severely damaged. The bridge, however, did not suffer any particular damage. In 1743, a bridge was built for the vehicles along the lower arch, which was already used by horsemen and horsemen. The Celts dominated France until 125 BC, the year in which the country fell under the rule of Rome. Julius Caesar conquered part of Gaul between 57 and 52 BC. The territory remained under the authority of Rome until the 5th century AD, the period in which Gaul was invaded by the Franks. The Romans, who feared the populations that maintained their local identity, began to exercise more decisive control. Gaul underwent numerous transformations as Rome imposed its political and cultural influence. For example, the use of Latin instead of the indigenous language, a passage, however, favored by the similarities between the two languages. The very first Roman works in the territories that became today's France allowed Rome to organize the entire southern Gaul. Land was mined and cultivated for the Roman colonizers and new cities were built. The construction of a series of roads favored communication between Rome and the cities of its colonies. This also facilitated trade between the neighboring cities along the new roads, thus promoting the local economy. The Roman Empire needed a tool to maintain control over its conquests. It was of primary importance to build a road for military use that favored communications between the different provinces. Nîmes, which received water from the aqueduct of the Pont des Gardes, was one of the cities that emerged along the Via Domitia, the road that led to Rome. The Via Domitia connected the Spanish provinces to Italy, passing through the cities of Narbonne, Orange and Cavaillon. The Via Aquitania, on the other hand, was the Roman road that connected the Mediterranean coast near Norbonne with Aquitania and the Atlantic. In collaboration with local sponsors, UNESCO and the European Union, the French government sponsored an important plan to restore the area around the Pont des Gardes. With the project completed in 2000, only pedestrians were allowed and vehicles were not allowed. Significant improvements were made to the reception facilities for tourists and a museum was also built on the north bank of the river. The Pont des Gardes is a masterpiece of creative human genius, an exceptional testimony of the technical achievements of an ancient civilization and a constructive enterprise that represents an important phase in human history. The Pont des Gardes was placed among the UNESCO World Heritage Sites in 1985.