Torrente Torre: Water Intake Structures and the Ferracina Embankment

The Ferracina embankment (rosta Ferracina), which in Zompitta runs for a short stretch along the Main Canal, takes its name from its designer Bartolomeo Ferracina. He was also responsible for the reconstruction of the Palladian Bridge in Bassano and the lead vault of the Palazzo della Ragione in Padua, as well as numerous hydraulic works within the Republic of Venice. 

The Zompitta embankment was built in 1769 to protect the irrigation canals (rogge) from flooding by the Torre stream. It consists of an earthwork reinforced with large stone blocks, extending from the canal intake to the Savorgnano bridge. Its broken line design, with pointed sections facing the stream, was intended to counteract the force of the water.

The site where the water intake structures of the main canal are located — from which originate the Udine, Palma and Cividina irrigation canals — is of great landscape interest. The charm of the waterfalls, the wide weir immediately upstream and the skyline of the Motta hill, where the remains of the Savorgnan castle stand (once controlling the waters), create a particularly evocative setting. 

The intake works were designed in 1929 by engineer Cudugnello to divert water from the right bank of the Torre stream. The system allows the flow to be divided into three branches, feeding the Udine, Palma and Cividina canals, according to agreements reached between the managing consortia after lengthy disputes.