A stroll along the enchanting bridges of Venice

The Bridge of Sighs is built of Istrian stone, Baroque style, and was designed in the early 17th century by architect Antonio Contin, son of Bernardino Contin and grandson of Antonio Da Ponte. The construction was ordered by Doge Marino Grimani, whose coat of arms is carved there. This characteristic Venetian bridge, located a short distance from St. Mark’s Square, spans the Rio of the Palace, connecting, with a double passage, the Doge’s Palace to the New Prisons. It served as a passageway bringing inmates from the prisons to the offices of the State Inquisitors. It was given this name because tradition has it that, in the days of the Serenissima, prisoners crossing it sighed at the prospect of seeing the outside world for the last time. The appellation “Bridge of Sighs” is attested as early as the late 18th century.