THE MEDIEVAL BRIDGE OVER THE RIGNALLA BROOK NEAR FLORENCE: ANALYSIS AND REHABILITATION PROJECT

Hidden in the green countryside near Florence in Bagno a Ripoli (FI), the small stone arch bridge over the Rignalla brook, left tributary of the river Arno, has been recently discovered. The Reclamation Consortium of Central Tuscany, the authority for the protection and maintenance of soil and waterways, has entrusted us with a research project aimed at a cognitive analysis of the bridge and a rehabilitation and functional recovery project for a pedestrian public use. The date of the laying of the foundation-stone in unknown: it is believed to be a “Roman bridge”. The historical research, also supported by the static analysis to evaluate the degree of stability of such a structure, suggests the possibility to attribute the design of the bridge to Leonardo da Vinci.