Ponte dell'Ammiraglio

The Ponte dell'Ammiraglio (Admiral's Bridge) is a 12th-century stone bridge on Corso dei Mille in the eastern part of Palermo, Sicily, Italy. It was built in 1131 for George of Antioch, the admiral and chief minister of King Roger II, to carry the road into the city over the Oreto river. The bridge is a notable work of Norman engineering, made of pale limestone blocks and carried on a series of pointed arches, the central arch being the highest and widest. The pointed form is of Islamic derivation and reflects the cultural mix of Norman Sicily, where Arab, Byzantine and Latin building traditions were combined. In its original form the bridge crossed a river that was an important approach to Palermo, and it was used by armies and travellers during the medieval period. In the 20th century the Oreto was diverted away from the bridge, and the river that once ran under its arches is no longer there, so the monument now stands in a dry setting among modern streets, traffic and buildings. This gives it an unusual presence as a surviving piece of the medieval landscape in a dense urban area. The bridge is small compared with the churches and palaces of the Arab-Norman route, and has no interior to visit, being seen from the roadside and from the surrounding area. Excavation and restoration work has been done to clear the arches and consolidate the stonework. The bridge is one of the nine components of the UNESCO World Heritage site Arab-Norman Palermo and the Cathedral Churches of Cefalù and Monreale, inscribed in 2015. Visitors should see it as a short stop within a wider tour of the Norman sites. The surrounding area has traffic, so photographs are best taken from the safe viewing points. The bridge is an open-air monument and can be viewed free of charge at any time.