 |
|||
 |
|||
|
|||
Ponte del Rialto
The Rialto Bridge, most famous and loveliest span across Venice's Grand Canal, and the market that extends from its foot into San Polo
Ponte di Rialto (Rialto Bridge) & Mercato del Rialto (Rialto Market)Bridging the gap over the Grand Canal between Salizada Pio X/Riva di Ferro (S. Marco) and Ruga d. Oréfici/Fondamenta del Vin (S. Polo).
Vaporetto: Rialto
Viator.com tours
• Venice Rialto Market, San Polo and Frari Church Walking Tour
• San Polo Walking Tour - Merchants, Courtesans and Painters
Sights nearby
***Grand Canal [sight]
**Ca' d'Oro [museum/palace]
Ca' Pesaro [museum/palace]
***Piazza San Marco [square]
***St. Mark's Basilica [church]
Museo Correr [museum]
Where to eat nearby
*Trattoria alla Madonna [meal]
Rosticceria San Bartolomeo [snack]
Rosticceria Teatro Goldoni [snack]
***Cantina Do Mori [snack]
*Vini da Pinto [meal]
**Cantina Do Spade [snack/meal]
Hotels nearby
*Antica Locanda Sturion [moderate] **Pensione Guerrato [cheap] Caneva [super-cheap] **Bernardi-Semenzato [cheap]» More hotels in San Marco from Venere.com
» More hotels in San Marco from Booking.com
» More hotels in S. Polo from Venere.com
» More hotels in S. Polo from Booking.com
ReidsItaly.com Venice Map
» View ENLARGED MAP with all listings
TOURS FROM OUR TRUSTED PARTNERS that include Venice
Intrepid Travel 2011 Italy trips
• Best of Italy
• Italy Uncovered
• Italy Experience
• Classic Italy
• Italy Family Adventure
• Highlights of Italy
• Umbrian Discovery
Not just Italy...
Paris to Venice
Venice to Istanbul
G Adventures 2011 Italy trips
• Ultimate Italy
• Italy Culture and History Explored (9 days)
• Venice to Rome Adventure
• Italy Family Adventure
iExplore Italy trips 2011
• Italy Experience (9 days)
• Italy in Style (9 days)
» THE VENICE BOOKSHELF
The Rialto Bridge in Venice.Until the 19th century, this narrowest point on the Grand Canal—where the original core of the Venetian settlement was established back in the Dark Ages—was the only place you could cross from one side to the other unless you had a boat because it had the only bridge in town.
The original bridge was a crude floating pontoon affair. Later, the city constructed a bridge of wood with a drawbridge in the middle for ships to sail through (see the picture below to the right).
The Rialto Bridge is the place to snap the perfect photograph of the Grand Canal and its chaos of boat traffic.In 1592, this was replaced by the current graceful arc of stone and marble, 92 feet long and constructed of a single arch lined by tiny shops (these days inhabited by pricey boutiques, more eye-candy than shopping district; I've only ever seen Japanese tourists buying anything inside).
The Rialto Bridge as it appeared in 1494, in a detail from a painting by Vittore Carpaccio in the Accademia Galleries.
The current, 16th-century Rialto Bridge was designed by the felicitously named Antonio da Ponte ("Tony of the Bridge"), but he barely made the cut.
His plans actually won a competition that was entered by every architectural heavy hitter of the Renaissance, including Michelangelo, Palladio, and Sansovino.
To put that in perspective, it would be like holding a Battle of the Bands where The Beatles, the Rolling Stones, Led Zepplin, and U2 were all beat by some teenage garage band.
The Rialto market
The bridge has since lent its name to the market extending from its foot along Ruga d. Oréfici into the San Polo neighborhood—stalls of fruit and veggies (and souvenirs) at first, then doglegging to the right then left to culminate in a famous pavilion of fish vendors known as the Rialto market.
Tips
- None, really (other than "don't shop on the bridge"), but I would suggest that the Rialto Bridge is the best meet-up spot in Venice. Other obvious places like Piazza San Marco are big enough to get lost in, but "Let's meet atop the Rialto Bridge" works for everyone, plus it's the most central spot in town.
- The Rialto Market's souvenir stands are open daily, the produce section closes Sunday, and the core fish market closes Sunday and Monday.
- Take a tour: If you want a guide along to explain what you're seeing—take one of the neighborhood walking tours from our partners at Viator.com: the Venice Rialto Market, San Polo and Frari Church Walking Tour or the San Polo Walking Tour - Merchants, Courtesans and Painters.
A live webcam on the Rialto. F5 to refresh.
Related pages
- Cruising the Grand Canal
- Sights in San Marco district
- Sights in S. Polo district
- Sights in neighboring Cannaregio district
- Sightseeing in Venice
ShareThis
Search ReidsItaly.com
This material was last updated February 2011. All information was accurate at the time.
about | contact | faq
» THE REIDSITALY.COM DIFFERENCE «
Copyright © 2008–2011 by Reid Bramblett. All rights reserved.
