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There are only four bridges over the Grand Canal (Canal Grande) in the UNESCO World Heritage city of Venice, Italy. This entry will focus on the bridges starting from the north end of the canal moving south.
Constitution Bridge
The first bridge is Constitution Bridge (Ponte della Costituzione). It was designed by Santiago Calatrava and installed in 2008. It’s a very controversial bridge for many reasons. First of all, it doesn’t fit in architecturally with the rest of Venice. Secondly, it isn’t wheelchair accessible so a lift system had to be installed at a very high cost. Finally, the bridge seemed unnecessary with another bridge a mere 300m away.
Bridge of the Barefooted
The next bridge is the Bridge of the Barefooted (Ponte degli Scalzi). It’s a stone arch bridge that opened in 1934, replacing an older Austrian iron bridge. The bridge connects the Santa Croce and Cannaregio districts.
From the bridge, which is located next to the Santa Lucia Railway Station, there are great views of the San Simeone Piccolo Church (Chiesa di San Simeone Piccolo).
Rialto Bridge
The third bridge on the Grand Canal is the oldest and most famous. The Rialto Bridge (Ponte di Rialto) was originally built in 1181 and was replaced by a wooden bridge in 1255. In the first half of the 15th century, shops were built along both sides of the bridge.
The Rialto Bridge collapsed twice, first in 1444 and again in 1524. The current bridge was constructed from 1588 to 1591 by architect Antonio da Ponte, and is now one of the top tourist attractions in the city. It links San Polo with San Marco.
Whenever we crossed the bridge during the day it was ridiculously crowded and nearly impossible to get a good view. It wasn’t until well after dark when we could have the bridge almost to ourselves to enjoy the scenery.
Academy Bridge
The fourth bridge over the Grand Canal is the Academy Bridge (Ponte dell’Accademia). Linking Dorsoduro with San Marco, the original bridge opened on November 20, 1854. It was demolished in 1933 and replaced with a wooden bridge that was refurbished in 1986.
The Academy Bridge is my favorite bridge because it has in my opinion the best views out of all the bridges. It’s also much less crowded than the Rialto Bridge.
Some of the landmarks you can spot from the bridge include the Basilica of Santa Maria della Salute and Ca’ Rezzonico.
