The Ponte Vecchio, also known as Ponte degli Alpini, is the covered wooden bridge crossing the Brenta River in Bassano del Grappa. It is one of the most recognizable monuments of the city and one of the best-known wooden bridges in Italy. The bridge is linked to Andrea Palladio, who presented the definitive wooden design in 1569, after a major Brenta flood destroyed the previous structure in October 1567. The present form follows Palladio’s covered timber concept, although the bridge has been rebuilt and restored several times. Technically, Ponte Vecchio is a wooden covered bridge with 5 spans, a length of 58 meters, a width of 8 meters, a height of 11 meters, and a clearance of about 4 meters. Its spans cross the Brenta on timber supports and masonry abutments. The bridge has survived repeated destruction by floods, war, fire, and structural decay. Its historical value was officially recognized when the Italian state declared the bridge a National Monument through Law No. 65 of 5 July 2019, published in the Official Gazette in July 2019. Short History of the Ponte Vecchio (Ponte degli Alpini) Medieval Origins and Strategic Role The earliest documented bridge at this point dates to Read more [...]
All Bridges in Veneto
Veneto’s most famous bridges are in Venice, where water crossings define the city’s structure. The Rialto Bridge, completed in 1591 to a design by Antonio da Ponte, is the oldest bridge over the Grand Canal. Other essential Venetian bridges include the Bridge of Sighs, the Accademia Bridge, the Scalzi Bridge, and the Constitution Bridge.
Outside Venice, the most important bridges include Ponte Pietra in Verona, considered the city’s oldest Roman monument, and Ponte Scaligero, connected to Castelvecchio. In Bassano del Grappa, Ponte Vecchio, also known as Ponte degli Alpini, is a covered wooden bridge over the Brenta River, historically documented in 1209 and linked to Andrea Palladio’s design.
Bridge of Sighs (Ponte dei Sospiri)
Buy tickets & tours:VivaTicket Hidden just behind the ornate façades of the Doge’s Palace, a short stroll from the crowds of Piazza San Marco, the Bridge of Sighs (Ponte dei Sospiri) feels like a secret suspended over water. Many visitors arrive in the square without realizing that, only a few steps away, the pale, enclosed arch of the Ponte dei Sospiri quietly connects the Doge’s Palace with the former prisons across the narrow Rio di Palazzo canal. From the outside, the bridge looks like a delicate marble jewel-box balanced between two massive buildings. Inside, however, are narrow stone passageways that once carried prisoners from the palace’s interrogation chambers directly to their cells. This contrast between beauty and severity has made the Bridge of Sighs one of Venice’s most intriguing landmarks: at once a symbol of harsh justice and a modern icon of romance. Today, visitors can admire the Ponte dei Sospiri from the small bridges on either side of the canal or glide beneath it in a gondola. Short History of the Bridge of Sighs (Ponte dei Sospiri) In the late 1500s, the city constructed a new complex of jail buildings, Prigioni Nuove, across the narrow Rio di Palazzo Read more [...]
Rialto Bridge (Ponte di Rialto)
The Rialto Bridge (Ponte di Rialto) is one of those landmarks that instantly says “Venice”. Arching over the narrowest point of the Grand Canal, it links the historic trading district of Rialto with the elegant heart of San Marco and has done so for centuries. Today, crowds still pour across it from dawn to late evening, photographing the view, browsing the tiny shops on top and watching gondolas and vaporetti glide underneath. This stone arch bridge is the oldest bridge over the Grand Canal and a symbol of the city’s commercial power during the days of the Venetian Republic. Its story mixes engineering daring, artistic refinement and daily market life, which is why understanding the Rialto Bridge means understanding Venice itself. Short History of the Rialto Bridge (Ponte di Rialto) Long before the present stone bridge was built, Venetians needed a dry crossing over the Grand Canal to reach the busy markets on its eastern bank. The first known structure here was a pontoon bridge, Ponte della Moneta, built in the late 12th century, probably around 1181, near the medieval mint that gave it its name. From floating to wooden bridge As the Rialto district became the city’s Read more [...]
Ponte San Michele
Ponte San Michele (Saint Michael Bridge) is a pedestrian only bridge over the Retrone River, in Vicenza, located in the southeastern part of the historical center of the city. SHORT HISTORY A wooden bridge was built on this site in 1265, and replaced in 1422 with a stone bridge. The current bridge was built between 1621 and 1623 on the model of Venetian bridges by the architects Tomaso and Francesco Contini. The name of the bridge derives from the Romanesque-Gothic Church of San Michele, located nearby, built in the 13th century by the Augustinians, but destroyed in the Napoleonic era. HOW TO GET THERE Ponte San Michele is located about 950 meters away from the Vicenza railway station. The closest bus stop is located in Largo Neri Pozza, about 160 meters away, on the bus Line 10.
Ponte Pietra
Built in Roman times, Ponte Pietra (Stone Bridge) is the oldest bridge on the Adige River, in Verona. SHORT HISTORY A first wooden bridge was built on this place during the construction of Via Postumia, in 148 BC. Subsequently, the wooden bridge was replaced by the stone one. In the following centuries, the bridge was damaged many times, mainly due to the flooding of the Adige River, in particular in 1007, in 1153, in 1232 and again in 1239. In 1298, the Lord of Verona Alberto della Scala had the tower on the western bank of the river restored and the adjacent arch rebuilt, while in 1368, his great-grandson, Cansignorio della Scala, built an aqueduct on the same bridge that supplied water to several houses in the historic center of the city. During the same time, the bridge was equipped with a second tower on the eastern bank of the river. In 1508, the City Council asked the architect Fra’ Giocondo to supervise the reconstruction of the Roman bridge, but the work began only in 1520, after the death of the architect, and was finished one year later. After a few centuries of relative tranquility, in 1801, the tower Read more [...]
Ponte della Vittoria
Ponte della Vittoria (Bridge of Victory) is a bridge in Verona, built across the Adige river. The bridge owes its name to the victory of Vittorio Veneto, a battle that led to the defeat of the Austro-Hungarian Empire in the First World War. SHORT HISTORY In 1925, the Municipality of Verona announced a national competition for the construction of a monumental bridge to celebrate the Battle of Vittorio Veneto and the memory of the Veronese victims. The competition, attended by numerous designers, was won by the architect Ettore Fagiuoli and the engineer Ferruccio Cipriani. The construction began on November 4, 1928, and was completed in 1931. The inauguration took place on November 4, 1929. The construction site of the bridge saw the destruction of some surrounding buildings. On the night of April 25, 1945, the bridge was destroyed by the retreating Germans, along with all the other bridges in Verona, including Ponte di Castelvecchio. Only the right arch of the bridge remained intact, which was used by the Allies as a support for the construction of an iron bridge, indispensable for continuing the pursuit of the German troops. In 1947, Ettore Fagiuoli redesigned the bridge, and on August 29, Read more [...]
Ponte di Castelvecchio
Ponte di Castelvecchio, also known as Ponte Scaligero, is a medieval bridge in Verona, on the Adige River, part of the fortress of Castelvecchio. SHORT HISTORY The bridge was built between 1354 and 1356 under the lordship of Cangrande II della Scala, to ensure the fortress of Castelvecchio with an escape route to the Adige Valley, in case of a riot by one of the enemy factions within the city. The structure of the bridge remained untouched for about five centuries, until 1802, when the French, following the Treaty of Lunéville, demolished the tower on the southern side and eliminated the battlements. In 1820, the battlements were reconstructed by the Austrians on the orders of Emperor Francis I of Austria. The bridge was destroyed on April 24, 1945, by the retreating Germans, along with all the other bridges in Verona. In the post-war period, the Municipality of Verona decided to rebuild it together with other important monuments lost during the Second World War. For the reconstruction project, the architect Piero Gazzola collaborated with the engineer Alberto Minghetti for the technical part and with the architect Libero Cecchini for the artistic part. The work began at the end of 1945, Read more [...]
Ponte del Diavolo
Ponte del Diavolo (Devil’s Bridge) is one of the two remaining bridges on the island of Torcello. At the same time, it is one of the only two bridges without parapets still found in the Venetian Lagoon, the other being Ponte del Chiodo, located in the sestiere (district) of Cannaregio, in Venice. SHORT HISTORY OF PONTE DEL DIAVOLO Recent archaeological studies attested that the bridge was built in the 15th century, on the site of a previous narrow bridge dating back to the 13th century. However, the origin of its name was not yet established. Some locals claim to come from the surname of a local family, Diavoli, and others remember the legend of a pact with the devil that a young man made in the 19th century, during the Austrian occupation of Venice, to recover his dead lover. On August 6, 2009, the radical restoration of the monument was completed, with an intervention that rigorously maintained its original structure, reinforcing the arch of the bridge. HOW TO GET TO PONTE DEL DIAVOLO To get to the island of Torcello, from Burano, Murano or Venice, you can take the waterbus Line 12 ACTV. The trip from Venice (Fondamente Read more [...]