The Rialto Bridge
The Rialto Bridge is one of the most famous bridges in the Italian city of Venice, spanning the Grand Canal at its shortest part and connecting city districts of San Marco and San Polo. Built in the late 16th century on the location that housed older pontoon bridges, its eye-catching design, and the notable site made it one of the most famous bridges in all of the Renaissance Italy. While initially, it was called “Nicolò Barattieri,” this bridge soon became the pride of all the Venice and became known as “Ponte di Rialto” or “Ponte de Rialto.”
The first bridge on that place was Ponte della Moneta, named for mint that grew at one of its entrances. It was built in 1181, and it was a pontoon bridge built on ships and designed by Nicolò Barattieri. The pontoon bridge was replaced in 1255 with a wooden bridge because the nearby Rialto market increased traffic over it. That bridge had two ramps on each side and a movable platform in the middle that could be raised to allow the passing of the ships underneath the bridge. It also had two rows of shops built whose renting, and taxes helped maintain the bridge in working order. Because it was close to the Rialto market, in time, it changed the name into Rialto Bridge. Maintenance of the bridge was a problem because of the material that was used for its construction.
This bridge was built between 1588 and 1591 with the task of becoming a central crossing point in the increasingly congested part of the city of Venice, and especially its nearby markets and trading posts. With the wooden pontoon bridges demanding too many resources to be continuously repaired and maintained, Venice officials searched far and wide for best bridge builders, designers, and artists who could produce an ageless bridge that will elevate the visual appeal of the city. After long consideration, architect Antonio da Ponte was chosen to create 31.8 meters (104.3 feet) long Rialto Bridge, whose arch elevates 6.4 meters above the Grand Canal.
In 1504 first ideas started to be voiced about replacing the Venetian wooden bridge near the Rialto market with a permanent stone structure that would provide on-foot passage across almost 50-meter-wide Grand Canal, have enough decking to house one row of shops, and give enough space below for adoption of ships. After decades of deliberations, Venice officials finally divided to fund the development of an entirely stone bridge. For this purpose, they contacted all the leading bridge constructors and structure decorators of their time, including architects such as Jacopo Sansovino, Palladio, Vignola, and even the famous Michelangelo. Their choice eventually fell on Antonio da Ponte who designed an effortless and elegant bridge that was built over the span of four years between 1588 and 1591.
The design of the bridge featured an homage to the original wooden bridge, utilizing similarly inclined ramps on both shores that led to the central portico passageway. The bridge effortlessly housed rows of shops which are still there to this day, and three passageways – two one the sides of the bridge and a central walkway that is surrounded by two rows of shops.
Architect Antonio da Ponte took great care to integrate Rialto Bridge into the surrounding city environment. To do that, he elected to use Pietra d’Istra (calcareous rock of bright white color) as the primary building material, which very effectively gave a distinctive look to the bridge – a white stone that is clashing with darkly painted wooden shops. The decking was paved with grey stones that were paler near the edges of steps, which was an intentional choice that helped bridge users to spot the position of the steps more easily. The main deck of the bridge is inclined at a significant angle (15°), which prevents pedestrians from seeing another side of the bridge from each shore. This approach to bridge-building is not permitted in modern times.
In addition to the strongly angled decking and rows of shops that make the top part of the ship quite distinctive, one of the defining visual features of the Rialto Bridge is its low arch that spans the Grand Canal with the width of 28.8m and height of 6.4m.
Modern architects praise the construction effort that original architect Antonio da Ponte invested into the Rialto Bridge, especially its complex superstructure, simple overall design with one arch, and the visual adornments that are still as magnificent looking as they were in late 16th century. After centuries, the bridge remains in excellent health, with only minor color discoloration due to water damage and some staining on the underside of the arch.
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Sources:
Rialto Bridge - Facts and History of Ponte di Rialto. Bridgesdb.com. (2020). Retrieved 17 March 2020, from http://www.bridgesdb.com/bridge-list/rialto-bridge/.
Rialto Bridge - Construction of Venice's Historic Bridge. Historyofbridges.com. (2020). Retrieved 17 March 2020, from http://www.historyofbridges.com/famous-bridges/rialto-bridge/.
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