The Rialto Bridge over the Grand Canal Venice |
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The Ponte di Rialto (Rialto Bridge) is the oldest of the four bridges that cross the Grand Canal in Venice. The other bridges are the Accademia Bridge (Ponte dell'Accademia), the Scalzi Ponte degli Scalzi) and the Constitution Bridge (Ponte della Costituzione) designed by Santiago Calatrava. The Rialto Bridge is formed by two inclined ramps, with shops on each side, covered by a portico. The bridge was built in three years, between 1588 and 1591, as a permanent replacement for the boat bridge and three wooden bridges that had spanned the Grand Canal at various times since the 12th Century. It remained the only way to cross the Grand Canal on foot until the Accademia Bridge was built in 1854. The bridge is 48 meters long and 22 meters wide with a 7.5 metre (24-foot) arch which was designed to allow the passage of galleys. The bridge was built on 12,000 wooden pilings that still support the bridge more than 400 years later. The architect, Antonio da Ponte (Anthony of the Bridge) competed against such eminent designers as Michelangelo and Palladio for the contract. The bridge has three walkways: two along the outer balustrades, and a wider central walkway leading between two rows of small shops that sell jewellery, linens, Murano glass, and other items for the tourist trade. |
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