Rialto Bridge, Venice

Rialto Bridge

Venice, Italy

One of the most popular sights in Venice and mentioned in Shakespeare’s Merchant of Venice

About the Rialto Bridge

Connecting San Polo to San Marco, the Rialto Bridge was built in three years (between 1588 and 1591). The bridge is made of Istrian stone (an impermeable limestone).

Figures carved into the bridge are the Annunciation with the Archangel Gabriel and the Virgin Mary (by Agostino Rubini) and San Marco and San Teodoro – the protectors of Venice (by Tiziano Aspetti).

The Bridge connects the San Marco and San Polo districts of Venice, Italy, across the Grand Canal. It serves as a key pedestrian crossing and is a major landmark in the city

Google Maps Location

The Rialto is also mentioned in works of literature, notably in Shakespeare’s The Merchant of Venice, where Salanio asks “What news on the Rialto?”

Visiting the Rialto Bridge

Useful Information

Location/Waterbus

Location: Rialto Bridge

Waterbus stop: Rialto. Line 1, Line 2, Line 2 bis

Rialto Bridge Tips

Shopping: The Rialto Bridge shops are fairly tourist orientated. For gifts like Murano Glass buy from genuine craftsmen and women or make your own Murano Glass – see Murano page.

Tickets & Tours

The Rialto area and San Polo has a number of tours to help you explore all the area has to offer, from the Rialto Markets to Food and wine

Rialto Market Food and Wine Lunchtime Tour | Rialto Area Street Food Tour and Sightseeing

Skyview Venice: Rooftops Views and Hidden Streets | St. Mark’s, Doge’s Palace, Rialto, and Gondola Tour

History of the Rialto Bridge

The present stone bridge is a single span designed by Antonio da Ponte. Construction began in 1588 and was completed in 1591.

The current bridge was designed as a permanent replacement for three wooden bridges that had spanned the Grand Canal at various times since the 12th Century and the boats that carried people across the canal. The Rialto Bridge was the only way to cross the Grand Canal on foot until the Accademia Bridge was built in 1854.

The Rialto Bridge was designed to allow passage of ships and boats beneath. It is said that is it built on 12,000 wooden pilings that still support the bridge today.

St Mark and Theodore are a common theme in Venice. On the Fondaco dei Tedeschi side of the Rialto Bridge you will find the carved figures of St. Mark and St. Theodore.

Rialto Bridge Facts & History

The Rialto Bridge is the oldest of the four bridges that now span the Grand Canal, connecting the districts (sestieri) of San Marco and San Polo in Venice.
The site has served as a crossing point since at least the 12th century, originally as a pontoon bridge built in 1173 and later replaced by various wooden bridges before being rebuilt in stone.
The early wooden structure, known as the Ponte della Moneta, was first designed by Nicolò Barattieri, and successive versions were prone to fires and collapses because of heavy usage and structural limitations.
By the mid-16th century, Venetian authorities decided that a more durable stone bridge was essential to support the city’s commercial and pedestrian traffic across the bustling Rialto market area.
In a public competition of architectural proposals, the design by Antonio da Ponte—a bold single-span stone arch—was selected over other submissions, including those by prominent architects of the era.

Construction of the existing stone bridge began in 1588 and was completed in 1591, making extensive use of thousands of wooden piles driven into the lagoon’s alluvial soil to support its foundations.

The bridge’s single arch, spanning approximately 31–32 meters (about 100+ feet), is flanked by a broad deck carrying rows of shops, a feature that continued the long Venetian tradition of “inhabited bridges.”

Historically, these shops were occupied by merchants selling goods such as spices, textiles, and precious metals, helping to finance the bridge and reflecting the Rialto area’s role as Venice’s commercial heart.

The bridge’s architectural style shows the influence of the Renaissance period, combining functional design with aesthetic harmony in its clean arch and geometric balustrades.

Over more than four centuries, the Rialto Bridge has endured natural events and heavy foot traffic, becoming an iconic symbol of Venice and one of the city’s most photographed historical landmarks.