Roman Horatian Palino bridge

The Roman Horatian Palino bridge is a majestic bridge located on the road that leads from Sant'Agata di Puglia to Candela.

The Roman bridge of Palino... is also known as the «Horatian Bridge» because Quinto Orazio Fiacco regularly crossed it to return to his native Venosa and even mentioned it in the fifth Satire. Built of brick and stone, it is approximately 211 meters long and 11 meters high.

For about 10 years due to the signs of its antiquity and with a slight rectification of the road path, the very important bridge has been retired and today it is possible to admire only its size and simple and robust architectural line.

The Palino Bridge is an ancient structure with three arches, approximately 200 meters long, built over what used to be the course of the Calaggio-Carapelle River, now dry land. In the 1960s, the bridge was abandoned for safety reasons, and traffic to and from Sant'Agata now follows a detour. The construction is currently in poor condition, marked by decay, especially in the part damaged by the 2004 flood. In the past, the bridge held great importance as a crossing point for connections with various political and economic locations, such as Benevento, Equo Tutico, Ascoli, Ordona, Canosa, and Venosa. It was also part of several roads linking Irpinia, Lucania, and Daunia, including the famous "Via di Orazio" or "Orazian Bridge." Throughout the centuries, this bridge has witnessed the passage of armies, crusaders, pilgrims, merchants, rulers, saints, and transhumant shepherds. Its strategic location facilitated movements, communications, and trade between the East and the West. Today, the bridge is in a state of decay and can be seen from the Bari-Naples motorway, but it still carries a rich history of passages and cultural exchanges over the centuries.