With the proclamation of the Italian Republic (1802), the successive transformation into the Kingdom of Italy (1805) and the annexation of the Veneto territories (1806), a large part of the Po Valley was joined into a single State and, for the first time, a series of plans were put forward for the area as a whole, with interventions such as the immission of the Reno into the Po River, the construction of a barrel under the Panaro River, and the reclamation of the Great Veronesi Valleys. Engineers and cartographers of Napoleon's retinue played an important role as they were entrusted above all with the general supervision of the projects and the carrying out of those projects which had strategic and military importance. Gaspar Riche de Prony, in particular, was sent to Italy three times over a period which lasted about two years. Prony was frequently assisted by both Italian engineers (Costanzo, Michelotti, Brunacci, and Fossombroni) and French engineers (Condère, Dausse, Bouessel, and Sganzin). Two other French engineers of Bridges and Roads, Bruyère and Rolland, were engaged in Italy in the spring of 1805, for the reorganisation of the Adriatic ports. The most interesting part of the project involves the construction of a new port destined to be the terminus for the river trade to and from Lombardy. This was part of an even grander project to link the Adriatic and the Tyrrhenian Seas by means of a single system of navigable rivers and canals which terminated in the Gulf of Savona (Canal d’Adriatique).
Great hydraulic works of French engineers during the Napoleonic period in Italy
BORGATO, Maria Teresa
2009
Abstract
With the proclamation of the Italian Republic (1802), the successive transformation into the Kingdom of Italy (1805) and the annexation of the Veneto territories (1806), a large part of the Po Valley was joined into a single State and, for the first time, a series of plans were put forward for the area as a whole, with interventions such as the immission of the Reno into the Po River, the construction of a barrel under the Panaro River, and the reclamation of the Great Veronesi Valleys. Engineers and cartographers of Napoleon's retinue played an important role as they were entrusted above all with the general supervision of the projects and the carrying out of those projects which had strategic and military importance. Gaspar Riche de Prony, in particular, was sent to Italy three times over a period which lasted about two years. Prony was frequently assisted by both Italian engineers (Costanzo, Michelotti, Brunacci, and Fossombroni) and French engineers (Condère, Dausse, Bouessel, and Sganzin). Two other French engineers of Bridges and Roads, Bruyère and Rolland, were engaged in Italy in the spring of 1805, for the reorganisation of the Adriatic ports. The most interesting part of the project involves the construction of a new port destined to be the terminus for the river trade to and from Lombardy. This was part of an even grander project to link the Adriatic and the Tyrrhenian Seas by means of a single system of navigable rivers and canals which terminated in the Gulf of Savona (Canal d’Adriatique).I documenti in SFERA sono protetti da copyright e tutti i diritti sono riservati, salvo diversa indicazione.
