The Guerrieri bridge is a road viaduct on the state road 115 Sud Occidentale Sicula, south of the town of Modica. It joins two hillside districts of the town, Sorda and Dente, spanning the deep gorge that divides them, where the Modica river flows.
What to see
It was opened by ANAS in 1967, as part of the modernisation of the old state road 115. At the time of its construction, and for several years afterwards, it held the record as the highest road viaduct in Europe. It is a statically determinate structure 538 metres long, with a maximum height above the valley floor of 134 metres. The eleven spans rest on ten concrete piers.
The work is dedicated to the Modica lawyer Emanuele Guerrieri, a member of the Constituent Assembly in 1946 and then re-elected every time until May 1963. Guerrieri was among the first to conceive the viaduct and firmly championed its usefulness, although its construction had a much-debated initial phase.
Visiting
The bridge is a road structure in use along state road 115, near the town. The sources indicate no viewing points or footpaths: anyone wishing to see it up close should ask locally.
Our editors' tip
Looking at the structure you can see a difference between the piers: seven are topped by cantilevers, while the three that stand on the railway line have none.
