The Bridge of the Three Canes is located in Vighizzolo, on the borders with Sant’Urbano, and was built around 1563 by the will of the Magistracy of Waters of the Republic of Venice, as part of a large reclamation project of the “Lake de Vigizuol”, a vast marshy area fed by several channels.
The structure, entirely made of stone, is an important hydraulic work that allows for the regulation of the water flow of the Fratta river through three large conical mouths, directing it under the course of the Santa Caterina river, which crosses it perpendicularly. Along with the bridge, embankments and containment works were created to progressively drain the basin and make the surrounding fields cultivable.
The project is part of the Venetian policies for water management and enhancement of “uncultivated lands”, initiated in the 16th century. The drainage of the territory continued in the following centuries and was completed also thanks to modern interventions in the 20th century, with new reclamation systems.
In the same area there is also the Sabadina Route, an ancient diversion of the Adige near Sant’Urbano, where the remains of a 16th-century sluice can still be found: a brick structure with three arches, recently restored, which testifies to the historical importance of hydraulic regulation of the territory.
