Man learns the best possible stuff in the lap of nature and it is there that he finds true peace with himself and the world around him. For centuries now nature has inspired man to achieve, to imagine, to explore and to fall in love with its effervescent splendor. Its million shades never seem to repeat themselves with each sunset bringing a new hue and its beautiful tunes inspire emotions that seem long lost in modern mayhem. Nature has a way of heeling, touching and inspiring which has been felt from men like Newton to romantics like Wordsworth. In simple terms, it has something for everyone and you only need to look with the right eye.

Built around 1100AD, the Devil’s Bridge is also known as the Ponte della Maddalena, named after a statue of Mary Magdalene that once stood at the foot of the bridge; the figurine is now housed in the local parish. (Mary Magdalene is another story altogether though). The bridge is located in a serene and tranquil location and its beauty is awe-inspiring indeed. Ne could just sit on it for hours and not know the time. But the tale behind the bridge is not very encouraging if you want to take a walk in the night on it.

A Tuscan legend has it that during the construction of the Ponte del Diavolo, near Borgo a Mozzano, the sole stonemason building it was having a terrible time. The builder made a deal with the Devil (apparently) that he would give the soul of the first person who crossed the bridge if he helped him in completing it. But the wise builder sent a pig across the bridge first to make sure no one lost their soul to the devil. The cheated devil apparently lies beneath this bridge till today!

Apart from being a great story for a movie and having a wonderful twist of how the Devil was cheated for a change, the bridge is an absolute beauty with surely many stories around it and we have not even got to Mary Magdalene yet! That is for a different day though…

Via EnvironmentalGraffiti

He was inaugurated last Wednesday, the first idrogenodotto underground for urban areas of the world: the presence of the President of the Region Tuscany, goldsmith in the industrial area of San Zeno around Arezzo were opened the taps to businesses and homes in the area that could use the ‘Hydrogen produced locally through photovoltaics.

A project co-financed by private institutions and local policies: Region Tuscany, City and County of Arezzo, Group Sapio, Exergy Fuel Cells and Cooperativa del Sol have signed the agreement four years ago, investing about one million euros. Today showed that the widespread diffusion of hydrogen, although it has cost more than other renewables (see the ‘wind and photovoltaics) is still strongly supported by Jeremy Rifkin precisely because it can be produced virtually anywhere.

The idrogenodotto is a meter and twenty centimeters wide and traporta pure hydrogen to 42 companies and all’HydroLab, the laboratory demonstration devoted to renewable energies, where they were placed two fuel cells from 1Kw and with a photovoltaic system for production of renewable hydrogen from water through electrolysis.

In a few weeks will start the domestic supply which will cut the cost of road transport and storage and above all, will make common Arezzo energy-independent local production of energy and heat will be sufficient to withstand the industrial consumption is domestic with the added advantage of decoupling these areas from oil and gas. Sustainable economic growth therefore, is sganciabile policies of oil lobbies.