- Art & Culture
The Bridge over the Adda
The Lodi bridge (also known as the bridge over the Adda) is a low arched bridge crossing the river Adda, in Lodi. It connects the districts of Borgo Adda, on the right bank, and Revellino Campo di Marte, on the left.
Its structure, consisting of eight masonry arches supporting the road surface, was built in 1864; it was intended to replace the old wooden bridge, destroyed by fire in 1859.
Napoleon fought against the Austrian army there on 10th May 1796, in what went down in history as the Battle of Lodi Bridge. At the time, the wooden bridge was approximately 200 metres long and 8 metres wide. It consisted of 57 bays, 31 of which rested in the main course of the river and another 5 in a secondary branch, the remaining ones rested on ground.
During the Second War of Independence in 1859, the Austrians burnt the bridge, which was rebuilt in terracotta, based on a project by the architect Gualini of Milan, 15 metres further upstream than the previous one in 1864. From 1880 to 1931, the new bridge was used by the interurban tramways to Bergamo and Soncino.
Two pedestrian and bicycle footbridges were built in 2000.