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The Bridge of Sighs (Ponte dei Sospiri) is a covered bridge made of limestone in the UNESCO World Heritage city of Venice, Italy. It’s attached to the Doge’s Palace.

Ponte dei Sospiri in Venice, Italy
Bridge of Sighs

The Bridge of Sighs was built in 1614 by architect Antonio Contino. It connects the Doge’s Palace to the New Prisons (Prigioni Nuove). The best view of the bridge is from the Straw Bridge (Ponte della Paglia), a bridge outside of the Doge’s Palace’s southern façade.

Ponte dei Sospiri in Venice, Italy
Bridge of Sighs

 

Crossing the Bridge

To access the bridge, you need to buy a ticket to the Doge’s Palace. After visiting the institutional rooms on the first floor, the self-guided tour takes you over one of the two corridors on the bridge to the New Prisons. This corridor is linked in to the Chamber of the Magistrate for Laws (Sale del Magistrato alle Leggi).

Entrance to the Ponte dei Sospiri at the Palazzo Ducale in Venice, Italy
Entrance to the Bridge of Sighs
Walking from the Ponte dei Sospiri to the Prigioni Nuove at the Palazzo Ducale in Venice, Italy
Walking across the bridge to the New Prisons

It’s possible to stop and look out the window, which may have been the last view of Venice for many convicted criminals before being taken to their cells. The view isn’t that great but you can imagine the sadness they may have felt, hence the name “Bridge of Sighs”.

Looking out the window from the Ponte dei Sospiri at the Palazzo Ducale in Venice, Italy
Looking out the window from the bridge
Entrance to the Prigioni Nuove at the Palazzo Ducale in Venice, Italy
Entrance to the New Prisons

 

New Prisons

At the other end of the bridge is the Palace of the New Prisons (Palazzo delle Prigioni Nuove), which is actually in the Castello district. It was built in order to improve conditions for prisoners with larger cells that let in more light, but that wasn’t the case in some cells.

Prigioni Nuove in Venice, Italy
New Prisons
Cell at the Prigioni Nuove in Venice, Italy
Cell
Corridor of cells at the Prigioni Nuove in Venice, Italy
Corridor of cells
Cell at the Prigioni Nuove in Venice, Italy
Cell

On display in the prison were drawings made by some criminals incarcerated in the prison.

Drawing made by a prisoner at the Prigioni Nuove in Venice, Italy
Drawing made by a prisoner
Drawing made by a prisoner at the Prigioni Nuove in Venice, Italy
Drawing made by a prisoner

We were also able to take a look at the courtyard with its white brick walls and grated windows. A well supplying water to the prison sits in the center.

Courtyard at the Prigioni Nuove in Venice, Italy
Courtyard
Courtyard at the Prigioni Nuove in Venice, Italy
Courtyard

 

Second Corridor

Once we finished visiting the prison, we walked back over the Bridge of Sighs through another corridor connecting to the Chamber of the Censors (Sala dei Censori) on the ground floor. The window in this corridor faces the lagoon.

Walking back over the Ponte dei Sospiri to the Palazzo Ducale in Venice, Italy
Walking back over the Bridge of Sighs to the Doge’s Palace

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Owner of Paisadventure. World traveler. Chicago sports lover. Living in Colombia.

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