The famous icon of Venice until half of 19th century was the only solid bridge connecting both sides of Canal Grande.
Rialto on one side was the main marketplace of Venice, the trade place, which brought to the city both fame and prosperity.
Today Rialto is still visited by the tourists, who also find the time to make a photo near the bridge and visit one of the souvenir shops located in two rows on the bridge.
In 12th century it was existing here the boat bridge, which in the following century has been replaced by the solid, wooden one.
The city might be prosperous, but had no luck with her bridges.
in 1310 the first one had been destroyed by the army of Benjamine Tiepolo. In the next century the second bridge collapsed under the crowds, wanted to see the wedding procession of Marquiz de Ferrara. When the following bridge was about to collapse again, the citizens said 'basta' and decided to build another one, but from stone.
Easier said than done, it took only sixty years to decide how to build it and how to rise the necessary money. During that time various artists, including Michelangelo and Sansovino, put the projects but finally the works were commissioned to the architect whose name looked like the guarantee of succesful job - Antonio da Ponte.
The bridge has been finally built between years 1588 and 1591. It has only one arch, which rises in its highest point to 7,5 m large enough to allow the galleys to pass under.
The two lines of shops with ballustraded foothpath were added in the following century.
More about the bridge, the city and how to get to Venice you will find on www.mytravelitaly.com
[photo courtesy of llamnuds]
