The ferry has long been considered a tourist attraction. Photo: Profimedia
Leonardo’s fuel-free ferry: a 500-year-old solution for modern transport
On the Adda River in northern Italy, a ferry that operates on the Renaissance principle and uses neither engine nor fuel has started sailing again.
The vessel, the so-called “Leonardo’s Ferry”, named after Leonardo da Vinci, has started operating again. The ferry is a model of sustainable transport, as it is powered exclusively by the river current. The vessel has connected the banks of the Adda River in Lombardy for more than 500 years and is one of the last such ferries in operation.
How Leonardo’s Ferry Works
The ferry was not named after the inventor because he invented it, but because he was so impressed by the vessel that he immortalized it in one of the most famous drawings kept in the Royal Collection at Windsor Castle in the United Kingdom. Its operation is extremely interesting.
The wooden barge is tied to a steel rope stretched between the two banks (sometimes it was a rope made of natural materials). With the help of a rope, the operator directs the vessel towards the middle of the river and then positions it at an angle to the current of the river. The current of water presses on the side of the vessel and pushes it towards the opposite bank without an engine. One operator is enough to run, and the ferry takes about five minutes to get from one end of the river to the other.
There used to be five such boats on the Adda River, but their use slowly began to dry up after the construction of the bridge in 1889. Among the regular users of the ferry was Angelo Giuseppe Roncalli before he became Pope John XXIII.
Daily use again due to bridge closure
For many years, the ferry was primarily a tourist attraction and mostly ran only on weekends. Since the beginning of May this year, when the Brevio bridge was closed for work, residents have been using it again for their daily journeys. “Currently, this is the fastest option, and above all, the most pleasant, because it offers you three minutes of peace,” ferry user Gianpaolo Graffagnino told AP.
Today, the service is run by local volunteers, including students and pensioners. “The ferry has returned to its original role – connecting the communities on both banks of the Adda River,” said volunteer Massimo Zoie.
