397 Venetian bridges are undoubtedly the best attraction of the ancient city of Venice, Italy.
Some of the bridges lead to a cul-de-sac, i.e. an alley that usually ends in a canal, while others just lead to the front door of an apartment.
Let’s walk over five of the most exciting ones!
Venetian bridges x 5 – tits & sighs
Building of the canal and bridge network started already in the 9th century. Most Venetian bridges are small and narrow, but the bridges on the biggest canals and main pedestrian thoroughfares can be quite wide. In addition to the most famous bridges, the traveler to Venice should also pay attention to the small and anonymous ones while wandering the city’s alleys.
1. The Rialto Bridge was once alone
Originally only one bridge led over Canal Grande or the Grand Canal, the Ponte di Rialto. There wasn’t supposed to have need for more.
Venetian bridges are thought to be made of stone, but this has not always been the case.
The original Rialto Bridge from 1181 was a pontoon bridge, but it was replaced in 1255 by a fixed wooden bridge.
In the 15th century market stalls were added on both sides of the bridge and their rental income was used to maintain the bridge.
However, the wooden bridge partially burned once and collapsed twice under the crowd. So in 1591 the current stone bridge was built, similar to its wooden predecessor including the market stalls. The designer was aptly named Antonio de Ponte.
The Rialto Bridge gets its name from the area on the San Polo side, which was the commercial and administrative center of Venice in the past.
Today there are four bridges crossing the Grand Canal, two of which are near the train station and one, the Ponte dell’Accademia, near St. Mark’s Square.
When you walk around Venice, however, you should look around and pay attention to even the smaller bridges. Many of them have an astonishing history.
2. Tit bridge was the brothel’s shop window
Ponte delle Tette, or Tit Bridge, bends in the Sestiere of San Polo. In the 16th-18th centuries it was a place to display the mentioned body parts for the workers of the neighboring brothel, who thus attracted customers.
The bridge crosses the Rio Marle and the street leading to it is Via San Cassiano. Rialto is a stone’s throw away and Campo San Polo is only about fifty meters as the crow flies.
3. The bridge familiar from Indiana Jones
When you cross the Ponte dell’Accademia from the San Marco side and wander a short distance north, you’ll arrive at a place familiar from the hit movie. On the edge of the square, along a small canal floats a boat selling fruits.
It appears in the Indiana Jones movie The Last Crusade.
Next to the boat a bridge crosses the canal and on the other side Campo Santa Margherita opens up with its numerous nice and reasonably priced restaurants and bars.
The bridge is called Ponte dei Pugni, or Bridge of Fists. From the 14th century arranged fistfights between two clans were organized on it, when the losers ended up in the canal.
Fighting was aborted when knives and stones were used instead of fists in 1705.
4. Bridge of Sighs aka Ponte dei Sospiri
Along with the Rialto the most famous bridge in the city is undoubtedly the Ponte dei Sospiri, or Bridge of Sighs.
Despite its name there hasn’t been romantic sighs on the bridge, quite the contrary.
The Ponte dei Sospiri leads across the canal from the interrogation rooms of the Doge’s Palace to Venice’s infamous prison.
The bridge is covered but the prisoners often saw the light of day for the last time through the small openings in its walls, hence the harsh name.
The bridge designed by Antonio Contino was completed in 1600. Contino came from a family of bridge engineers, as his uncle was Antonio de Ponte, the designer of the Rialto Bridge.
5. Ponte della Paglia – the bridge from which you can see the Bridge of Sighs
The most common place to see and photograph the Ponte dei Sospiri is another bridge, the Ponte della Paglia or Hay Bridge.
It arcs at the mouth of the same canal, Rio del Palazzo, along the Canal Grande. As its name suggests, farmers bringing loads of hay to the city moored their vessels near the bridge.
The current bridge is as new as from 1847. However, the original one was built already in 1360 and it was the first stone bridge in Venice!
Cross the Grand Canal by traghetto
Grand Canal has been crossed and still can be without using bridges. Gondola-like ferries called traghettos carry people across the stream for a small fee where there’s no bridge (50 cents each way as of May 2023).
Vaporettos, i.e. water buses, drive scheduled traffic.
See the lines, timetables and ticket fares at the Alilaguna website.
For centuries traghettos were the most common way to cross the Grand Canal and before the construction of the Rialto Bridge even the only way.
Only twenty years ago they were still commonly used. However, with the construction of new bridges there are only a few of them left.
BTW, Venetian bridges are conveniently curved, so you can walk along them even during the flood season, acqua alta.
Though you’ll need some Goldon boots landing to the alleys, but those are sold everywhere in Venice.
P.s. Going to other destinations in Italy? Continue here!