Flipping Book | The new Panama Canal | Salini Impregilo Library

13 pared with the previous one. Here we have another epic enterprise to which over 11,000 men, most of whom from Panama, made their contribution, as well as a great achievement for the development of Central America which—thanks to its new sea highway—is once again the best international trade route. The visionary ambition that allowed the early explorers to look beyond the obstacles of nature was the same one that for seven years fueled the work in a huge building site, di- vided between the shore of the Atlantic and that of the Pacific. A great testing ground for world engineering, because the uniqueness of the project has called for the use of tech- niques never attempted before, and innovative and sustainable solutions to safeguard key resources like freshwater. From the first laborers’ struggle against malaria in the early twen- tieth century, all the way down to the challenge of automation and the technologies, the ambition of going beyond the limits of nature and human skill is renewed in one of the most important engineering works in the world, overcoming the boundaries of time and pursuing the desire to never stop experimenting. From the Pacific to the Atlantic, from Asia to Europe, today a new road has been paved. Like an explorer who inaugurates a path never trodden before, the Canal is a route for big ships, otherwise forced to go around Cape Horn. Innovation, ingeniousness, technical skill, in- dustrial know-how, but above all the desire to create unique works around the world and to look beyond them: these are the elements that have made all this possible. And it is indeed because we want to “look beyond” that we have decided to publish a new book, after The Journey – The New Panama Canal , to tell the story of the new Canal, but also of the whole economic and social context that has been triggered thanks to it. With the Canal looming in the background this book looks at Panama as a country rich in biodiversity and marvelous landscapes and views, which we hope our new journey can help to valorize further.