Jean Louis Protche, Manufacturer of Porrettana.

While much is known about Porrettana, yet little is known of his legendary manufacturer, the Engineer Protche: it is at least partially to fill this gap we report briefly his life and the events which swept.

Born in Metz in 1818, from a child lost both parents: her mother, to 7 years, and his father, Army Colonel, 13, murdered by a soldier for this, together with his brother, spent a difficult childhood , full of hardships due to financial hardship of the family that hosted his grandfather.

For this he was forced to find a job soon to sustain his family and that of his grandfather, in the meantime, the private pension from a government decree.

Later he joined with his brother, at the prestigious Ecole Polytecnique engineer in Paris, where he graduated in 1843 Class II and Class I in 1851, finishing second in their course.

He was immediately hired by a governmental structure and worked on the construction of roads, canals and railways: its rapid specialization and experience, preferable to others when they did the Society for the railroads of Lombardy and Central Italy sought a reputation for technical direct the work of the Italian central railway being built.

In October of 1856 then, JLProtche arrived in Bologna, where he had located one of two directions of work (the other was in Verona for the railways of the Lombardo-Veneto) lines on the Tuscan-Emilian.

Opened July 21, 1859 the line Piacenza - Bologna, which he also helped design the new station in Bologna, the Protche since then devoted himself full time to the Railway Apennines. But not only the Porrettana he was concerned: in fact later became the first director (1866) and president (1872) dell 'Accademia di Belle Arti in Bologna, built a hemp processing plant in Jesi, Marche, one in Corticella (Bologna) and third in Vergato; also designed the new Market Hall in Bologna. He also worked at that time to the project of new line to Verona and studied the route through the Brenner Pass, was also consulted by the engineer. Lanino for problems that, in the course of 1866, derived from the tunneling of Ariano and Starza and to whom he was able to give a brilliant solution. Also accomplished studies on Lucca-Aulla and fundamental still, the future remains to Direttissima Bologna - Florence for which effected long and tiring reconnaissance along the Apennine ridge, though now the forces had already begun to abandon it after the first symptoms appeared early since 1879, the disease that would take him then to death.

Dying in Bologna on 31 March 1886, his last words were addressed to both still love railroads, and in particular that his latest creation which did not have time to see the birth: Diretissima.

Even today, his memory of a great man and technical arouses admiration, noting the striking air shafts of many of the galleries of Porrettana, still standing at about 150 years after their construction, is to return in thought to the myriad of problems large and small who was able to resolve during the epic years of its construction, the great technical mastery and even, at times, unbelievable "professionalism" in resolving the difficulties that presented themselves. All this suggests - admired by the great masterpiece that still stands on the horizon with his track on the ridges of the Apennines, and that it represents the epitaph of his untiring work - a deep admiration and respect in memory of a Man which, of course, still has much to teach many of our much-vaunted technical: he, old and weary, walk along the Apennine ridge windy to make sure of the validity of a choice in comfortable ... while they visits by helicopter accompanied by swarms of assistants!

But, surely, their name will never be written on the stones of a railway now ..... a legend like that of Jean Louis Protche!

Text by: Maurizio Panconesi