Rialto Bridge

The Rialto Bridge (Ponte di Rialto) is the oldest of the four bridges crossing the Grand Canal, in Venice, and by far the most beautiful of them all.

SHORT HISTORY OF THE RIALTO BRIDGE

According to some chronicles, the first bridge over the Grand Canal built on this spot was a wooden bridge supported by boats.

The first true bridge was built in the second half of the 12th century, more precisely around 1180, by the architect Nicolò Barattiero, during the time of Doge Sebastiano Ziani.

The bridge was called Ponte della Moneta (Bridge of the Coins), due to a coin mint located nearby.

The wooden bridge was replaced twice, in 1264, during the reign of Doge Renier Zen, and in 1310, when was damaged during the retreat of the rebels led by Bajamonte Tiepolo.

In 1444, Ponte di Rialto collapsed under the weight of a large crowd gathered to watch the procession of the bride of the Marquis of Ferrara.

In 1503, the construction of a stone bridge was proposed for the first time. The first project was carried out in 1514 by Fra Giovanni Giocondo, but the bridge didn’t last long and collapsed in 1524.

In 1551, the Venetian authorities issued an offer for the reconstruction of the bridge, and a commission of three supervisors was appointed, composed of Antonio Cappello, Tommaso Contarini and Vettor Grimani.

Starting with 1554, various projects were presented by the most famous architects of the time, but it was only in the second half of the 16th century that Doge Pasquale Cicogna announced a competition.

The first proposals came from architects such as Jacopo Sansovino, Andrea Palladio and Giacomo Barozzi da Vignola, but all the designs had a classical approach and were rejected.

The competition was revived in 1587, when the architects Vincenzo Scamozzi and Antonio da Ponte took part in the competition. Da Ponte won, and his project of a stone bridge with a single arch was chosen on June 9, 1588.

Ponte di Rialto was completed in 1591, with the help of the architects Antonio and Tommaso Contin, nephews of Antonio da Ponte.

Until 1854, when Ponte dell’Accademia was built, the Rialto Bridge was the only bridge in Venice that crossed the Grand Canal.

ART AND ARCHITECTURE OF PONTE DI RIALTO

The Rialto Bridge is a single arch stone bridge, with two ramps climbing to meet romantically under the central portico, where tourists have the talent to gather in a very large number.

The ramps are splited in three, with two lateral walkways and a central larger one. The side walkways, which are lower than the central one, have 42 steps each plus 12 towards Riva del Buso, 15 towards Riva del Vin, 18 near Palazzo dei Camerlenghi, and 15 towards Riva del Ferro.

On the south archivolt of the bridge, there are the sculpted figures of the Archangel Gabriel on one side, the Virgin Mary on the other side, and the symbol of the Holy Spirit, the Dove, between them. The sculptures are works by Agostino Rubini.

On the opposite archivolt, towards Fondaco dei Tedeschi, the figures of San Marco and San Teodoro, the current and former protector of the city, are sculpted. These are works by Tiziano Aspetti.

12,000 elm wood poles support the weight of the Rialto Bridge. The bridge has a length of 28.8 meters, a height of 7.32 meters and a width of 22.9 meters, but the measures are not that important.

The charm comes from elsewhere and, to discover it, you have to look at the ensemble on a larger scale…

TIP: Experience a gondola ride in the Rialto area, along the most beautiful part of the Grand Canal.

HOW TO GET TO THE RIALTO BRIDGE

It’s harder to find a toilet in Venice than the Rialto Bridge. Arrows indicating the direction towards the bridge (PER RIALTO) are everywhere, and no matter where you start your search, you will quickly find the structure.

The closest vaporetto stop is Rialto, located near the bridge, on the ACTV Line 1, 2 and 2/.