Mondine pumping-station

This was completed in 1926 as part of the Parmigiana-Moglia land reclamation programme to carry water from the provinces of Reggio Emilia and Modena at more than 25m above sea-level (‘high waters’) into the River Secchia.

Under normal conditions, the water is downloaded with the aid of gravity through the sluice-gate at Bondanello but, when the River Secchia is in spate, it becomes impossible to carry water through the sluice gate by means of gravity and the water is diverted to the Mondine pumping-station, where it is mechanically raised and poured into the river.

The Mondine system consists of a main building with 5 centrifugal pumps driven by an electric motor (called mandracchio) and a sluice gate, where the water from the catchment area is channelled into the River Secchia, ensuring that the surrounding countryside is not flooded. The architecture of the buildings is clearly classical and the use of brick, marble and wrought iron combine function and beauty. The system belongs to the Consorzio di Bonifica dell’Emilia Centrale.