Ponte dei Salti, Verzasca Valley
Facts and practical information
The Ponte dei Salti is a pedestrian bridge over the Verzasca River in Lavertezzo in the Swiss canton of Ticino.
The stone bridge with two arches was built in the 17th century. It is a protected cultural asset of regional importance.
Its two arches have spans of 14 m each. The footpath follows the shape of the arches, not so much to give the bridge an elegant appearance as to save masonry in the area of the spandrels and at the same time to keep the weight bearing down on the arches low. The footpath on the bridge is just wide enough for two people to pass each other. The parapet walls are only knee-high to leave enough room for the sacks carried by the donkeys. The height of the bridge above the river depends on the water level at any given time, but is also likely to be about 14 meters most of the time.
In 1868, the rock serving as an abutment on the right bank had been so eroded by the rushing waters of the annual floods that it gave way and the right arch collapsed into the river. The arch was first replaced by a wooden structure, and later by an iron girder, but its support was also washed away in 1951. Subsequently, in 1960, the bridge regained a stone arch and thus its original appearance.
In 2016, Swiss Post specially dedicated a two-franc stamp to this famous bridge, designed by Urs Schüpbach and Kaspar Eigensatz, after the bridge had already been the subject of a stamp in a multi-part series on bridges in 1991.
The Ponte dei Salti is often referred to as the "Roman Bridge" by German-speaking tourists. This vernacular relationship is misleading in that the bridge was not built or ever used by the Romans.
Under the bridge, the Verzasca forms a basin up to 9 meters deep and about 120 meters long, which is very popular with water sports enthusiasts. Together with the clear water, the granite rocks polished by the river form a special visual experience both below and above the water surface. That is why the Ponte dei Salti is one of the most famous and popular diving sites in the Verzasca Valley. However, the current that prevails even when the water level is low repeatedly leads to swimming or diving accidents at this spot. At high tide, staying in the basin under the Porti del Salini is life-threatening even for experienced water sportsmen.
Ticino