The Admiral’s Bridge

The Admiral’s Bridge was built during the reign of Roger II between 1130 and 1154.
It is still an important testimony to the Norman architectural moment in the city of Palermo.
The bridge, also from an engineering point of view, represents an outstanding manifestation of progress. Constructed with large cut stone, it was named after the famous George of Antioch, the very Admiral of Roger II’s reign.

The Admiral’s Bridge is located outside what used to be the city walls, near Porta Termini and overlooking the Oreto river. However, as the river continued to overflow, in 1938, it was diverted and thus water stopped flowing under the bridge.

The shape of the bridge is called ‘humpback’, with seven ogival arched spans in which the piers supporting them have pointed vaults so that they would cushion the river in the event of flooding. The type of stone used for the construction is calcarenite.

To this day, the Admiral’s Bridge is also remembered for the clash that took place on 27 May 1860, when Garibaldi’s troops clashed with the Bourbon armies, which were supposed to repel them out of the city.