THE RIALTO BRIDGE

In your itinerary for visiting Venice in 3 days (but also if you are in town for a day or a weekend), you certainly cannot miss a stop dedicated to admiring the beautiful Rialto Bridge. It is the oldest and most monumental in the city.

A symbol of Venice throughout the world, along with St. Mark's Basilica and the bell tower of the same name, until 1854 it was the only bridge connecting the two banks of the Grand Canal.

It is located in the sestiere of San Polo, that is, the area that has always been, and still is , devoted to commerce.

RIALTO BRIDGE - HISTORY

This bridge was built to meet the ever-increasing demands that this trading district entailed. Because of the great movement of people and goods that was gradually increasing between one and the other bank of the Grand Canal, as early as the 12th century a wooden bridge was built to replace the ferry, which could be raised, thus allowing the passage of boats. The bridge was called the Quartarolo, or Moneta bridge, after the name of the coin that had to be given to cross it.

It underwent various vicissitudes of restoration and embellishment, until, old and shabby, in 1444 it fell under the weight of too many people, who had rushed to see the procession accompanying the Marchioness of Ferrara.

So in the 16th century it was decided to build it in masonry, and in the competition Antonio da Ponte's design was accepted (some of the leading architects of the time, such as Andrea Palladio and Vincenzo Scamozzi, had also participated), and he finished building it in 1588, under the Dogado of P. Cicogna. To realize it cost more than 250,000 ducats, an astronomical sum for the time.

RESTORATIONS

The Rialto Bridge has been restored several times over the centuries, but it still endured for 4 centuries without major problems. At the end of the 20th century, criticalities were discovered in the walls of the stores and on the balustrade, but given the high costs, nothing could be done.

The last intervention was in 2012, when Renzo Rosso's OTB group, which heads the fashion brands Diesel, Maison Margiela, Marni, Viktor&Rolf launched a restoration campaign costing 5 million euros that ended in September 2021. The intervention included a complete restoration of the structure (something that has never happened since its construction) that restored it to its former glory.

The restoration work involved the bas-reliefs, plaques, and masks decorating the bridge, which were laser and steam cleaned and grouted with specially formulated lime-based mortars. A lime and earthenware pavement subfloor, waterproofing with elastic sheathing, and structural consolidations with carbon fiber and duplex steel were then carried out.

The Bridge, a single arch with a chord of more than 28 meters, has two rows of stores, connected by two arches in the middle. It is a Venice attraction always crowded with tourists looking for a souvenir or enjoying the bustle of boats sailing on the Grand Canal.

A must take a photo at the top ...you can't go home without one!

HOW TO GET THERE

You can get there from the Rialto Bridge easily with the 1 and 2 line of the vaporetto. The stop is Rialto

On foot from piazzale Roma with a walk of about 20 minutes.

If you want to find out what are the other famous bridges in Venice check out our dedicated page!