Rialto Bridge
The Rialto Bridge—Ponte di Rialto, or Ponte de Rialto—marks the oldest of the four crossings over Venice’s Grand Canal. It links the sestieri of San Marco and San Polo, and its position matters because Rialto had long been the city’s commercial hub, pulling people toward the eastern bank and the market. The story begins with earlier crossings: a pontoon bridge first appeared in 1173, and the first dry crossing was a pontoon built in 1181 by Nicolò Barattieri, called the Ponte della Moneta. As trade intensified, a wooden bridge replaced it in 1255, with ramps and a movable central section for tall ships. By the 15th century, shops lined the sides, turning rents into an income for the State Treasury. The stone bridge you see now was designed by Antonio da Ponte, with construction beginning in 1588 and completed in 1591. …
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