"Ponte del Diavolo"

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The ' Devil's Bridge' is an architectural marvel of natural material that speaks to the ingenuity of humankind. Only thirty such marvels can be found in Europe.

 

The 64 m long bridge, rising above the level of the water in a curved peak 15 m high, spans the Stura River and was built in the late 1300s along what was then an old mule trail that descended from the Alps to the city of Torino in the Po River Valley.

 

 

According to a medieval legend, the bridge was built in one night by the devil in person in exchange for the soul of the first living being that crossed the bridge. However, a clever mountain peasant got the better of the devil when he had a goat pass over first...!

 

 

Whatever the legend, "Devil's Bridge" has stood the test of time and remains a steadfast reminder that age-old construction methods were impressively reliable and that the resulting structures were elegant, too.

 

Wow ....I love each new image you post ..each is worth a 1000 words and more ..thank you for sharing your adventures and wonderful images with all of us ...

Regards from 86 degree (cooler today ) Florida .....

Perfetta!! Questa è una foto che in questo periodo dell'anno andava fatta a colori, così da apprezzare la livrea autunnale della collina e il fine dettaglio dei mattoni del muro. Oltretutto la giornata con una luce molto diffusa ha contribuito alla resa. Proprio per voler essere pignoli, a mio avviso l'albero sulla destra rovina un po' l'insieme, ma 1) non dipende da te, 2) la perfezione non è di questo mondo.... :).

In ogni caso bravissima! Ciao. Giorgio

Arcul de pod,apa,vegetatia foarte bine vazute,sincer nu imi prea place perturbarea(in opinia mea) pe care o fac cele doua trunchiuri de copac,dar tot asa de posibil este ca nu era de ales probabil alt unghi,cele bune,Radu.

Excelente imagen,buena composicion con una definicion magnifica y fantasticos colores.Saludos y max anon.

Lovely capture, impressive bridge and touching story. I'll keep an eye on your front page. Best wishes,

Suave y destila cierta melancolía por esos colores.

La verdadera maravilla es poder disfrutar de este puente en puñado de pixels. Un placer disfrutar de la historia y la imagen al mismo tiempo. Max anon. Un abrazo. Vicente.

Thank you for visiting again, dear friends. I appreciate your take the time to comment. Thank you very much indeed!

 

To Jeffrey:............Welcome back! Thanks for teasing me with the 86°F. We are now at 58°F but at 40°F we will leave here. Better save some money to invite us for a good dinner! :)

 

To Giorgio and Radu:........ Indeed, it's possibly against all photographic and aesthetic rules but, believe it or not, I wanted the trees in - because I like them.:) I made a few shots without trees and from an different angle which I will post eventually. Thanks anyway for your input, I understand what you mean.

Gracias Vicente, por tu comentario, siempre son bienvenidos, un abrazo

 

Thats not Palins bridge to nowhere is it? Of course it isn't, but it is another fine example of your expertise. The dice read a pair of 7's.

Interesting photo - and a really nice story! Regards! CL

Fine to see you visit again. You're comments are always welcome. Thank you very much both of you.

 

To Monte:..............Haha! That's a good one! You are not referring to her 'view from the garden' - I guess... However, the arch on top of the bridge had a wooden gate, so.....:)

A great documented shot. I agree with you about the trees, they frame the whole picture really well. Also a nice touch of HDR not too overdone, just right. If I had to change anything I would have cut out the sky alltogether. Anyway Bravo Elena..Take care..Regards

Thanks Keith for coming by and for your comment. Indeed, it looks like HDR, but it's straight out of the camera, one shot,handheld. I fiddled around a bit with contrast and saturation because I had no sky at all that day. And in addition, I wanted to show that in Italy the sky is not always "azurro"...:)

This is magnificent image! I love to see the beauty that you give to a picture, tbo. Best regards.

Great shot, congratulation.

Magnificent image, El. Well balanced by the outer trees. Well seen. Regards, Lawrence.

Great capture and interesting story.Well done! Warm regards.

what a historical bridge. excellent capture and interpretation. regards.

Excellent capture. The colors are so beautiful!

Wonderful image with a great story. Thanks El and greetings-Jim

Very nice image and interresting story. Regards, Jean-Marc

Beautiful image, very nice lighting and colors.We can find also even technical of construction of bridges in Pyrenees, between France and Spain. They use even stones.