Bridge Of Sighs

The name “Bridge of Sighs” was not what Antonio Contino called the bridge when he built it in 1600. That name came from Lord Byron in the 19th century, who imagined prisoners crossing it for the last time and sighing at their final view of Venice through the small windows. In reality, the bridge connected the interrogation rooms in the Doge’s Palace to the New Prison next door, and prisoners crossed it repeatedly; it wasn’t the walk to the gallows that Byron imagined. The romantic narrative has thoroughly overtaken the actual function, which itself was fairly grim.

What You’re Looking At

The Ponte dei Sospiri spans a narrow canal and is enclosed, made of white Istrian stone, with two small windows that prisoners could look through. The famous view of it is from the Ponte della Paglia nearby, where it appears framed between buildings above the water. That view is essentially impossible to photograph without significant crowds for most of the day; go before 8am.

The bridge is physically inside the Doge’s Palace complex. You can walk through it on the Doge’s Palace guided tour, including the Secret Itineraries tour that takes you through the interrogation rooms and Casanova’s prison cell. Crossing the actual bridge from inside the prison is a different experience from the external view.

The Doge’s Palace

The Palazzo Ducale adjacent to St Mark’s Square was the seat of Venetian government for centuries. The State Rooms contain Tintoretto’s monumental Paradise on the main hall ceiling, considered the largest oil painting in the world at 7 by 22 metres. The armoury is extensive. The Grand Council Chamber and the Senate Hall give the clearest sense of what the Venetian Republic’s governance machinery looked like.

The Secret Itineraries tour (separate ticket, small group) adds Casanova’s cell in the Piombi (lead-lined attic prisons, named for the roofing material), the torture chamber, and access to spaces closed to the standard ticket. It is worth the premium.

Eating Near the Bridge

The blocks immediately around St Mark’s Square have some of the most expensive and least interesting food in Venice. Cantina Do Mori near the Rialto (about 10 minutes’ walk), a bacaro operating since 1462, serves cicchetti (small plates) and wine at the counter at prices that reflect local rather than tourist economics. This is the more defensible option.

Getting Around

The vaporetto Line 1 along the Grand Canal from the railway station to San Marco takes about 40 minutes. Buy a 24-hour or 48-hour unlimited pass if you plan to use the boats multiple times; single tickets are EUR 9.50 each.