Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
TOP FIVE CONTROVERSIAL BRIDGES
Ponte di Calatrava
Officially known as Ponte della Costituzione (Constitution Bridge), Spanish architect Santi-
ago Calatrava's modern bridge between Piazzale Roma and Ferrovia was commissioned for €4 million in 1999,
and for a decade was variously denounced as unnecessary, inappropriate and wheelchair-inaccessible. Though the
bridge cost more than triple the original estimate, it also received private backing by companies headquartered at
the foot of the bridge - so some Venetians refer to it as 'Benetton Bridge'. Foot traffic is noticeably diverting over
this minimalist arc of steel, glass and stone. Wheelchair access has been added, but with a projected 15-minute
wait and crossing time, the
vaporetto
(water bus) seems comparatively efficient.
Ponte di Rialto
The main bridge across the Grand Canal was disaster-prone for centuries: the original 1255
wooden structure burned during a 1310 revolt, and its replacement collapsed under spectators watching a 1444
wedding parade. The state couldn't gather funds for a 1551 stone bridge project pitched for by Palladio, Sanso-
vino and Michelangelo, and the task fell to Antonio da Ponte in 1588. Cost overruns were enormous: as the stone-
work settled, the bridge cracked, and legend has it that only a deal with the Devil allowed da Ponte to finish by
1592. Architect Vincenzo Scamozzi sniffed that the structure was doomed, but da Ponte's bridge has remained a
diabolically clever masterpiece of engineering - at least until chunks of bridge pylons abruptly dropped into the
canal in 2011. Fashion company Diesel recently won a €5-million restoration bid, which may include advertising
banners on the bridge's construction scaffolding. Some Venetians are relieved by the Rialto restoration; others
consider it a new deal with the Devil.
Ponte dei Pugni
(Bridge of the Fists) Turf battles were regularly fought on this pugnacious Dorsoduro bridge
between residents of Venice's north end, the Nicolotti, and its south end, the Castellani. Deadly brawls evolved
into full-contact boxing matches, with starting footholds marked in the corners of the bridge (which was restored
in 2005). It was all fun and games even after someone's eye was put out; bouts ended with fighters bloodied,
bruised and bobbing in the canal. King Henry III of France apparently enjoyed the spectacle, but escalation into
deadly knife fights in 1705 ended the practice. Today Venetians compete for neighbourhood bragging rights with
regattas instead.
Ponte delle Tette
'Tits Bridge' got its name in the late 15th century, when neighbourhood prostitutes were en-
couraged to display their wares in the windows of buildings above the bridge instead of taking their marketing
campaigns to the streets. According to local lore (and rather bizarre logic), this display was intended to curb a
dramatic increase in sodomy. The bridge leads to Rio Terà delle Carampane, named after a noble family's house
(Ca' Rampani) that became a notorious hang-out for local streetwalkers (dubbed
carampane
).
Ponte dei Sospiri
Built by Antonio Contino in 1600 and given its 'Bridge of Sighs' nickname by Lord Byron, the
bridge connects the upper storeys of the Palazzo Ducale and Prigioni Nuove (New Prisons). According to Byron's
conceit, doomed prisoners would sigh at their last glimpse of lovely Venice through the bridge's windows - but as
you'll notice on Palazzo Ducale tours, the lagoon is scarcely visible through the stonework-screened windows.
Legend has it that couples kissing under the bridge will remain in love forever, but no doubt Venice's prisoners
took a less romantic view of the construction.
