Testimonies and memories of the men who worked on the Tunnel
Memories of the Gran Sasso. A series of videos in which the forgotten protagonists of a great work speak. Those men who worked for years in the bowels of the Gran Sasso. With their labor and their hands they created one of Italy’s greatest works, the longest double-bore tunnel in Europe. Their testimonies, charged with emotion, including the memory of those comrades who did not make it, gives us back a piece of our country’s history.
“…It took about 4 hours to reach Rome.”
“With the tunnel a whole world opened up, which the average Aquilan at the time may not have been so sure he was ready for, but so be it and we keep it, because it was one of those momentous events that change the perspective of an entire area.” Summa B, State Highway 17, Exòrma editions, 2009
The work was built through an agreement between Cassa del Mezzogiorno and S.A.R.A. (Società Autostrade Romane e Abruzzesi), the former concessionaire of the A24 A25 highways. The project was designed by Alpina S.p.A. and the construction company was CO.GE.FAR. Construction was approved in 1963 and work began on November 14, 1968. After 16 years, only the first tunnel in the direction of Teramo was opened in 1984, while for the second one, in the direction of Rome, although it was ready, it was necessary to wait for the Gran Sasso National Laboratories to finish work. In 1975 construction was suspended due to the economic crisis and resumed only in 1982.
