This
is the most famous bridge in all of Venice. Early
on people were forced to get acquainted with it because
for hundreds of years it was the only way to get from
one side of the city across the Grand Canal to the
other without using a boat. ("Rialto" means "high
bank" in Latin.) Not surprisingly, a thriving commercial
center sprang up around it. Today there are still
fish, fruit, and vegetable markets along the streets
leading to the Ponte di Rialto and there are actually
shops on the bridge, itself. Most of the spans in
the city had been built from stone since the 1100s.
But because of the bustling neighborhood around it,
wood was used for the Rialto because it was faster
to replace than stone. However, repeated collapses
due to decay, sabotage, and fire forced the city to
commission a new stone bridge. A contest was held
and a design by Antonio da Ponte was chosen over such
famous architects as Michaelangelo. In 1854 a second
bridge was constructed across the Grand Canal taking
some of the pressure off the Rialto, but the Istrian
stone span still stands as a landmark today.
