You cannot miss the Rialto Bridge, the first urban centre of Venice. It comes from the Latin “rivus altus”, deep canal, referring to the Grand Canal. Dating back to 1180, it was initially a series of boats with wooden planks placed on top. It was then built in wood resting on stilts. However, on June 15th, 1310, Bajamonte Tiepolo and other conspirators of a failed coup d’état, broke the bridge to stop the Doge’s pursuing troops. It was then rebuilt as it was, but in 1444, during a visit by the Marquess of Ferrara, the bridge collapsed under the weight of the crowd who had gathered to see the parade along the Grand Canal. In mid-16th century a public competition was set to rebuild the bridge in stone; Sansovino, Palladio and other famous architects proposed classical projects with several arches. But the task went to the Venetian Antonio da Ponte, the only one to propose a single arch, and indeed he built it as we see it today. By unifying the two parts of the city on either side of the Grand Canal in a single arch movement, the Rialto Bridge has become the symbol of Venice’s unity and uniqueness.
