Rialto Bridge

The Rialto Bridge crosses the Grand Canal in a single stone arch, with a covered arcade at its crown and rows of shops climbing both ramps: a bridge that is also a street. Linking the San Marco and San Polo districts, it is the oldest of the four bridges over the Grand Canal, and until the Accademia bridge opened in the 19th century it was the only fixed crossing of Venice's main waterway for two and a half centuries.

The first crossing here was a bridge of boats in the late 12th century, known as the Ponte della Moneta after the mint that stood at its eastern end. As the Rialto market grew it was replaced around the middle of the 13th century by a timber bridge with a movable central section that could be raised for tall ships, and in the 15th century two rows of shops were added whose rents paid for its upkeep. The wooden bridge was burned in the revolt of Bajamonte Tiepolo in 1310, collapsed under a crowd watching a wedding procession in 1444, and fell again in 1524.

Venice debated a stone replacement for most of the 16th century. Sansovino, Palladio and Vignola all submitted classical designs with several arches, and Michelangelo was considered, but the commission went in 1588 to Antonio da Ponte, whose proposal used just one span. The bridge was finished in 1591. Its arch spans about 28 metres and rises about 7.5 metres; the whole structure is some 48 metres long and 22 metres wide and rests on thousands of wooden piles. Vincenzo Scamozzi, the rival architect, predicted it would fail; it has carried the city's foot traffic ever since.

Look at the sculpture as well as the view. On the south face is an Annunciation, with the angel and the Virgin on either side of the dove of the Holy Spirit, a reference to Venice's legendary founding on the feast of the Annunciation. On the other face stand the city's patrons, Saint Mark and Saint Theodore. From the top of the ramps the Grand Canal opens in both directions, busy with gondolas, water buses and delivery boats, and the Rialto market that gave the bridge its name lies at its foot.

Getting there

The bridge is in the heart of Venice, about 0.3 km from the city centre point. Venice Marco Polo Airport (VCE) lies about 7.6 km away across the lagoon, and Alilaguna water shuttle lines connect the airport with stops in the city.