Rialto Bridge (Ponte di Rialto)

The Rialto Bridge (Ponte di Rialto) crosses the Grand Canal at its narrowest point, linking the San Marco district with San Polo in Venice, Italy. The current stone bridge replaced earlier wooden crossings and was completed in the closing years of the 16th century. It is a single broad arch, and two ramps of steps run up either side of a central portico that is lined with small shops selling jewellery, leather goods, glass and souvenirs. Two rows of steps divide the shops from the outer balustrades, which offer open views up and down the canal. From the centre of the bridge, visitors can watch vaporetti, water taxis, gondolas and delivery boats pass below, and the palazzi lining the banks. The bridge is at the edge of the Rialto market district, so the area on the San Polo side has food stalls, bacari and small trattorie, and the Riva del Vin on the eastern bank has waterside restaurant terraces. A crossing takes only a few minutes, and most people spend fifteen to thirty minutes taking photographs and looking at the shops. The bridge is at its most crowded from mid-morning to late afternoon, when tour groups and day trippers fill the steps and the balustrade views are hard to reach. Early morning, particularly around sunrise, gives the quietest conditions and soft light along the canal. Sunset gives warm light on the palazzi and is a popular time for photographs. For a clear photograph of the bridge itself, visitors can stand on the Riva del Vin or the Riva del Ferro on the canal banks, or view it from a vaporetto on Line 1 or 2 passing beneath. There is no admission charge, and the bridge is open at all times. Vaporetto stop Rialto is directly beside it.