Chiavicone di Bondanello

The Bondanello sluice gate is the oldest construction in the hydraulic system in the Province of Mantua south of the River Po.

The present building was erected in 1954 to replace a previous one, constructed in or around 1589 to complete the Bentivoglio land reclamation programme during the Renaissance. In the present hydraulic system, created by the Parmigiana-Moglia land reclamation programme (1920-1926), aided by gravity, the sluice gate carries water from the provinces of Reggio Emilia and Modena, situated more than 25m above sea-level (‘high waters’) and collected from the old Parmigiana-Moglia canal, into the River Secchia.

When the River Secchia is in spate, it becomes impossible to use gravity to receive water through the sluice gate and the water from the Parmigiana-Moglia canal is diverted to the Mondine pumping-station, where it is mechanically raised and poured into the river. The sluice gate belongs to the Consorzio di Bonifica dell’Emilia Centrale.