Ponte di Rialto

As we are riding along in our gondola we passed under the Rialto, one of the most famous bridges and sights in Venice. The Bridge was built in three years, 1588-1591, it is an amazing site! In The World of Venice, Jan Morris paints an affectionate picture of the Rialto Bridge: "Structurally, it was a complete success--during rioting in 1797 they even fired cannon from its steps, to dispel the mobs; and for myself, I would not change a stone of it. I love the quaint old figures of St. Mark and St. Theodore, on the station side of the bridge. I love the Annunciation on the other side, angel at one end, Virgin at the other, Holy Ghost serenely aloft in the middle. I love the queer whale-back of the bridge, humped above the markets, and its cramped little shops, facing resolutely inwards. I think one of the great moments of the Grand Canal occurs when you swing around the bend beside the fish market and see the Rialto there before you, precisely as you have imagined it all your life, one of the household images of the world, and one of the few Venetian monuments to possess the quality of geniality." How to get there: It's hard to miss the Ponte di Rialto. From the train station or the Piazzale Roma, simply follow the signs to "Rialto." The same applies if you're walking from the Piazza San Marco. (Just head for the clock tower, cut through the arched passage, and follow the upscale shopping streets known as the Mercerie until you reach the Grand Canal, then turn right and walk two blocks to the bridge