In 1992 author Robert James Waller penned a best-seller, The Bridges of Madison County.
The book tells the story of a lonely Italian war bride (Francesca) who engages in an adulterous affair with a National Geographic photographer from Bellingham, Washington (Robert) who has come to Madison County, Iowa in order to create a photographic essay on the covered bridges in the area.The Bridges of Madison County was later made into a 1995 film, directed by and starring Clint Eastwood and co-starring Meryl Streep.But, Madison County, Iowa is some 5,000 miles away, as the old crow flies, from where I’m standing right now — high above the Centro Storico (Historical Center) of Vicenza, Italy, a UNESCO World Heritage Site — and there’s not a row of corn in sight.
So, what’s up? Actually, what’s ACROSS is a nice easy stroll around this three-river provincial city in the Veneto region of northeastern Italy to take in all eight of her ponti (bridges) that dot the ancient part of town: Santa Libera, Furo, San Paolo, San Michele, delle Barche, degli Angeli, Pustera and Novo. Lens cap off, let’s have a look.
Although Vicenza, the City of Palladio, is very, very far from Madison County, Iowa — both in distance and time — her picturesque bridges and serpentine waterways are truly worthy of a National Geographic photo essay. Wouldn’t you agree?
