Cycle and pedestrian bridge over the Marecchia, a project that has been inactive for over 10 years

By Settimio Bernardi *

We read with great favor that the video will be presented in the splendid and unique theater of Sant’Agata Feltria on November 5th “Pilgrims on the Way of San Francesco in Valmarecchia” which wants to be a suggestion in the context of Franciscan celebrations for an alternative path of faith and spirituality, for a quality and responsible tourism in the name of welcoming and promoting the territory both from a spiritual, artistic and naturalistic point of view: from Monastery of Sant’Antonio da Padova in Pennabilli, the convent of Santa Croce in Verucchio, the Convent of Sant’Igne in San Leo, the Fausti cell of San Francesco in Sant’Agata Feltria. Too bad that in the documentary it will not be possible to see the images of the connection between and two banks of the Marecchia right in front of the Sanctuary of Saiano for which and only after the interest of the Community of San Francesco and Santa Scolastica, the Ministry for goods and cultural activities and tourism approved a decree (rep. 557 of 20.12.2019) which, with the operational agreement contained in the intervention form n. 31 is worth € 600,000.00 for crossing the Marecchia, € 135,000.00 for the protection and recovery of the Cypress of San Francesco in the Convent of Verucchio and other interventions in the territory of the Marecchia Valley for a total allocation of € 1,003,619 .00. Three years, which for a normal country are quite a reasonable time for a construction of this type, given that a “Tibetan bridge” is expected which, in addition to its usefulness, also has an added value from a tourist point of view. But the Province of Rimini, which we believe should coordinate the entire procedure of the provision, is like the bridge: the “province that does not exist”! Or rather, it was very present when, after 20 years of requests started following the meritorious action of restoration and revaluation of the Sanctuary of Saiano, which was in total abandonment and decay, on the part of the master Tonino Guerra (think of the portal in bronze by Pomodoro), he was able to ignore two popular petitions presented by our association (3,000 signatures the first and 5,000 the second); when he was able to eliminate a project already approved and financed for € 208.890,00 which provided for a crossing by submarine ford (GR n. 1886 of 06.12.2010); when in 2019 he deliberately forgot to include in the financing project of numerous interventions aimed at enhancing and promoting the cycling activity, precisely the most important measure. All this ignoring the need to connect the path that runs on the right bank of the Marecchia with the one that instead is on the left bank and which face each other (and end up) in front of Saiano without joining because there is no crossing on the Marecchia. A guilty delay that can easily be traced back to the lack of interest of the Province of Rimini for a territory that in 2009 (law 03. August.2009 n. 117) made it real and great with a land contribution of over 350 sq km, with the addition of the territory of the municipality of Montecopiolo (law 28 May 2021, n.84) on a total of 863 sq km, defining a different and better relationship between territory and population, with a free gift of an environmental, historical and artistic heritage that has few equals in Italy.

* President of the Terre dei Malatesta and Montefeltro association

The inauguration of the new cycle / pedestrian bridge over the Marecchia has been postponed to summer 2023