Bridge of Sighs

Bridge in Venice

Antonio Contin Ponte Dei Sospiri (Venice)
CC BY-SA 4.0 / Didier Descouens

The Bridge of Sighs or Ponte dei Sospiri is a bridge in Venice, Italy. The enclosed bridge is made of white limestone, has windows with stone bars, passes over the Rio di Palazzo, and connects the New Prison (Prigioni Nuove) to the interrogation rooms in the Doge’s Palace. It was designed by Antonio Contino, whose uncle Antonio da Ponte designed the Rialto Bridge, and it was built in 1600.

The view from the Bridge of Sighs was the last view of Venice that convicts saw before their imprisonment. The bridge’s English name was bequeathed by Lord Byron in the 19th century as a translation from the Italian “Ponte dei sospiri”, from the suggestion that prisoners would sigh at their final view of beautiful Venice through the window before being taken down to their cells.

The Bridge of Sighs appears in our Complete Guide to Visiting Venice!

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Visiting Bridge of Sighs

Hours:

24 Hours


Price:

Free

Address: Ponte dei Sospiri, Piazza San Marco, Venice, Metropolitan City of Venice, Italy
Duration: 5 minutes

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