Ponte a Marciano Beetwen Crete Senesi and Val di Merse
I heard about this Mulino Maledetto(Cursed Windmill) sometime ago near the hills to the south of the City of Siena. The thing that piqued my interest was that it looked like no windmill or watermill that I have ever see.
So embarked on journey to the Crete Senese, the name come from the high quantity of clay in these hills, to the the Merse's valley a medium sized river that run on the road that connect Siena to Grosseto.
Arrived close to the petrol station the sight was not what I was expecting, abandoned restaurant, hotel, market stand before what should be the reach to the river. Only the petrol station was teeming with people, but most of them unware of the bridge and just passing by refreshing themself.
All the roads where closed by fances and here started a puzzling adventure on how to get there, among new cement ruins and an abandoned tourist village.
Going back to the petrol station and asking if it was possible to get to the river with some doubts they pointed toward a white road running behind the road on the othershore of the river. After some walking on the dusty afternoon and then into the bushes here finally a farway view of the...wait. Windmill?
In the end how explained from some locals this was an old bridge where tanks used to cross during world war II and before the main road connecting these places. The name is Marciano's Bridge(Ponte a Marciano)
It is a beautiful structure, using the same schemes of the building in Siena made of small bricks standing imposing on the river. From here I could see other way to get a better view from the other side, and so the walk in the leg bruising bushes restarted back on the other side.
Till the very feet of the bridge, realising finally how big it really was. The whole structure was fascinating, the way it crumbled down flashed my mind across an adventurous land of fantasy to the early war fueled years of the last century straight into the calm of the present days where it lies forgotten by most.
Most but not everybody as I saw two pidgeon coming out and playing in the air close to their summer nest meanwhile two fishermen approched the other shore cleaning the path and preparing their spot by cutting the grass and moving the water lilies.
Ponte a Marciano nel Senese is really beautiful but the information that you can find on internet of it are kinda misleading and other then that the route is not easy to find. Italy is full of places like this but it seems that the councils are not really caring too much about it, hopefully this change and better and safer routes are added in the future. In the meanwhile I warn you travelers that this imposing forgotten beauty is very similar to a rose a sight to behold but to get there is full of thorns, quite literally!
Have a good week :)