The natural bridge Ponte di Véia is the biggest in Europe of its kind.The bridge is 52 meters long and has a maximum high of 29 meter; the bridge is located north of the Italian city Verona in the area called Veneto.
The Ponte di Véia is a very important prehistoric and bio-speleogical site, because of caves and the area around the bridge.
The making of the bridge
The bridge was formed by a karstic landscape, a karstic landscape is a where the chalk in the rocks comes op to surface and are transformed by running water. This is how the bridge is made. This happened for probably 40 million years ago.
The water hid the marble on top of the bridge and formed the vertical sinkholes above the bridge. Underneath this marble the water hid the calcareous rocks and washed it away, and thereby formed a cavern.
With the passing of time, the sinkholes widened more and more, until the vault of the cavern collapsed. The bridge was particularly resistant and in static equilibrium, it survived the collapse.
The big rocks on the bottom are the remains of the ancient ceiling, before the collapse.
The question is when did the vault of the cavern collapse?
There are different theories, the first one says that it happened about 120.000 years ago, and this could is supported by the pollen found underneath the rocks. The second one says that the cavern collapsed around 60.000 – 80.000 years ago. The third theory comes from Don A. Benedetti. He thinks that the collapse was due to the earthquake of the year 1223 a.d.
A small brooklet still flows underneath the bridge and forms a waterfall when plunging down into the “Vajo della Marchiora”, the valley underneath the bridge.
Dimensions of the bridge
The dimensions of the bridge are exceptional, the height varies between 24 and 29 meter and the thickness of the bridge is between 9 and 11 meter. The average distance between the bases of the pillars is 47 meters and the distance in the west is 52 meters. The high of the northern pillar is 59 meters and the southern pillar is 26 meters high. The width of the arch on the upper side varies between 16 – 23 meters.
The caverns
If you walk down to the base of the southern side of the bridge, you will find a cavern named “The bear’s cavern”. The cavern has a length of almost 180 meter and divides into two parts towards the end.
This cavern is a so-called “warm” cavern, and it was formed by the erosion of the calcareous rocks and was partially filled by injection of besalt, which is later eroded by karst phenomena
At the southern pillar there is also a cavern called B. This cavern was also made by the erosion of the calcareous rock.
On the left side of the callapsed vault a third cavern is located. This cavern is a 75 meter deep water cavern, and it is through this one, the brook flows.
In the area two more caverns are located. These caverns had been filled with yellow partially extracted earth. This is ochre formed by iron oxide and hydroxide, mixed with quartz of miocenic origins.
The surroundings of the Ponte di Véia
There two ways to see the surroundings of the Ponte di Véia, it is by a walk or by car.
The first route by walking, the time it takes to make the route is about 4 hours. It goes as follows: Start at Ponte di Véia, then go to Giare and then Casetta. After Casetta you walk further to M. Nuvolá and then to Corrubio. Then you go to Vaggimal and then Crèstena and then back to Ponte di Véia. It is not a difficult route because it mainly takes to through asphalted roads.
The best period of the year to take the route is from April to June and from September to November, but in the case of snow it is not advisable.
The second route is by car. It takes half a day to make the route, but it is better to do it in one whole day. The route goes as follows: Start at Ponte di Véia, then drive to Cerna and then Molina. After Molina you drive further to Gorgusello and then to Zivelongo. After you have been in Zivelongo you drive to the village Sant’ Anna d’alfaedo and then back to Ponte di Véia.
The best period of the year to make this rout is from April to November, but in the case of snow, it is not advisable. During to blossom time which runs from May to June, the route is particularly nice.
How to log the cache
To log this cache, you have to take a photo of you with you GPS, with the Ponte di Véia in the background or answer the 2 questions.
1. Estimate the high and the depth of the small cavern at the southern pillar?
2. What do we think that this cavern had been used to?
To answer these question look at the board next to the cavern.
Please do not put the answer in the log, and please place your photo in log when you are logging this cache. Further photos are welcome.
