Rialto Bridge

You are standing where Venice was born as a city. Rialto comes from rivus altus, "deep canal", and its islands were the first inhabited core and the great market of the Republic. To join the two banks of the Grand Canal there was first a bridge of boats and then several wooden ones.

1Bridges that fell down

The wooden bridge had a drawbridge section so that tall-masted ships could pass. You can see it in a painting by Carpaccio from 1494, now in the Gallerie dell'Accademia. But it was not very sturdy: in 1444 it gave way under the weight of the crowd that had packed onto it to watch a wedding procession go by.

2A gamble in stone

In the 16th century the Republic decided to build it in stone and looked at designs by great architects, Andrea Palladio among them. The winner was Antonio da Ponte, a builder with a great deal of practical experience, and the bridge went up between 1588 and 1591. Many thought a single arch that wide would collapse. It is still here. Until 1854, when the Accademia Bridge was built, it was the only way to cross the Grand Canal on foot.

The bridge has three walkways: a central one between the shops and two along the outer sides. The side walkways are the best for looking at the canal.

The Grand Canal, the Canalazzo to Venetians, is about four kilometres long and winds through the city in a reversed S. From here you will see water buses, delivery boats and gondolas.

3What to look for

• The two rows of shops under the arches.
• The Annunciation reliefs at either end of the arch.
• The Fondaco dei Tedeschi, with its white crenellations.