Ponte alla Luna

A system of Tibetan bridges—simple suspension bridges—drapes between two peaks in the Apennines of Basilicata. The main bridge, named Ponte alla Luna, or Bridge to the Moon, is nearly 1,000 feet long and dangles almost 400 feet above the creek below. 

It takes at least a half hour to cross the the bridge, and it certainly isn’t for the faint of heart. Glancing down at the gaps between the steel steps reveals nothing but empty space that stretches down to the trees far below. The journey is worth any brief bouts of altitude-induced fear, though. At the end, brave visitors are rewarded with a glass platform boasting panoramic views of the scenery and spectacular vistas of the historic village Sasso di Castalda.  

The name of the bridge (which translates to Bridge to the Moon) honors Rocco Petrone, a mechanical engineer and son of emigrants from Sasso di Castalda. Petrone was the director of launch operations at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center during the late 1960s and was also a director of the Apollo program, helping launch the first astronauts to land on the Moon.