The Devil's Bridge in Scigliano (or Hannibal's Bridge)

In Scigliano, on the Savuto river, there is an ancient Roman bridge that fascinates tourists and passers-by for two reasons. The first is its architectural perfection. The bridge, built around the 2nd century BC with blocks of tuff, has a single arch and crosses the notoriously impetuous river in a single leap. Its span is 22 meters, while the momentum from the Savuto bed is 11 meters. The base of the bridge is currently over one and a half meters below the water. This suggests that it originally had a much more slender appearance. The bridge has different names: the first is Hannibal's bridge. In reality, however, it seems that the famous leader never passed through these parts, although it is certain that the bridge was of great importance for the logistics of the Roman era. The other name is Ponte Sant'Angelo or the devil's bridge. This is linked to a tradition according to which the devil, defeated by the saint, would have kicked the bridge and damaged it. The restorations of the 1960s, however, today make it impossible to still notice the lesion.