Rialto Bridge

The Rialto Bridge, which spans the Grand Canal, is the largest in the city.
Originally it was a pontoon bridge built by Nicolò Barattieri in 1180, called Ponte della Moneta probably because it was located near the Ancient Mint, but also called “Quartarolo”, an ancient Venetian coin used to pay for passage across the bridge.
As food trade increased in the Rialto area, so did traffic on the floating bridge, making it necessary to replace it.
In 1265, a new wooden bridge was built, with two inclined lateral ramps that joined at a movable central block, which could be moved when masted vessels passed. At that time, it was given the name Rialto Bridge. Around the mid-1500s, rented spaces were built along the sides of the bridge to house shops.

In 1310, it was damaged by rebels led by Bajamonte Tiepolo, who wanted to seize the ducal seat. Then, in 1444, it collapsed under the weight of the crowd watching the procession of the bride of the Marquise of Ferrara. The bridge collapsed again in 1524.
In 1551, a competition was announced for a new stone bridge, as the old wooden bridge required constant maintenance and was expensive. The competition was won by the Italian-Swiss architect Antonio da Ponte, who designed the current single-arch stone bridge, similar to the previous wooden one. It was built between 1588 and 1592 with the help of his nephew Antonio Contin, during the customs office of Pasquale Cicogna.
Until 1854, it was the only bridge crossing the Grand Canal.
It consists of three ramps and two rows of 24 shops in the center, covered by a portico and joined in the center by two large arches.
The foundations rest on 12,000 elm piles and a series of larch planks.