The Bridge of Sighs in Venice is the elegant casket of a painful history. Having become famous as a romantic spot, chosen by anxious fiancés as a dream location to propose to their beloved, this little bridge of great fame is one of the world’s most successful misunderstandings.
The misunderstanding is now well known: the sighs that gave the bridge its name are not those of lovers exchanging vows of love, but rather those of people condemned by the dreadful court of the Serenissima, who were led across this bridge to their cells… cells from which, the unhappy prisoners knew, they would never get out.
Nor is it difficult to understand how this misunderstanding came about. The refined architecture of the bridge and the beauty of the context in which it is set make it impossible to imagine that behind its elegant Baroque façade lie dark and unhealthy surroundings. It is an enchanting sight both when kissed by the sun’s rays it turns a pretty cream hue, and on grey days when the stone seems to turn ice-coloured.
In this architectural jewel, the dual soul of Venice materialises, on the one hand romantic and graceful, on the other Gothic and mysterious. Another attraction not to be missed in a city of countless wonders.
The Bridge of Sighs is a suspension bridge joining two buildings. The exterior is opulent and elegant: built in Baroque style with Istrian stone, it is richly adorned with sculptures, decorations (including one depicting Justice) and the Doge’s coat of arms. It is entirely enclosed, so from the outside it is impossible to understand the internal structure of the bridge.
Inside, the bridge consists of two narrow corridors, parallel but not communicating, designed to prevent prisoners from escaping.
The only openings to the outside are two tiny windows decorated, or perhaps we should say protected, with a perforated weave. Through the small windows it is possible to see the Venetian lagoon with the island of San Giorgio on one side, and the back side of the Doge’s Palace and the Ponte della Canonica on the other.
Originally, the prisons of the Serenissima were located inside the Doge’s Palace: they were small, oppressive and unhealthy. In the mid-16th century it was proposed to move the prisons to a building solely intended for this function.
The New Prisons were built opposite the Doge’s Palace, on the opposite bank of the Rio di Palazzo. The Bridge of Sighs was built as a consequence of this choice, in order to connect the prisons to the magistrates’ chambers inside the Doge’s Palace: this allowed for the transfer of the guilty immediately after sentencing. The Bridge of Sighs continued to exercise this sad function of ‘ferry to prison’ for centuries.
The architect Antonio Contin, grandson of another Antonio who designed a famous bridge in Venice (Da Ponte, to whom we owe the design of the Rialto Bridge), was the author of the project.
Love is not excluded from the historical events of this construction: it appears both in the seductive and sly version of Giacomo Casanova, who was the most famous inmate of the Venetian prisons, and in the romantic English version of Lord Byron, the poet to whom the bridge apparently owes its name.
In modern times, the Bridge of Sighs has been used as a location for numerous films and commercials, including the 1970s romantic comedy ‘A Little Love Story’.
The Bridge of Sighs deserves to be seen from the outside and from the inside: the two experiences are completely different.
The easiest way to admire it from the outside is to walk to the Ponte della Paglia: coming from St. Mark’s Square just turn left at the corner of the Doge’s Palace. Once up the first steps of the Ponte della Paglia, turn your back to the lagoon and you will see the Bridge of Sighs in all its beauty in front of you.
This is the romantic view that has made it world-famous as a place for lovers: enchanting and free of charge, with no need for entrance tickets or queues, available 24 hours a day, 365 days a year (even in bad weather).
Another observation point, smaller but generally less crowded, is from the Ponte della Canonica: from here you can admire the opposite side of the most famous one.
The most romantic way to admire the Bridge of Sighs from the outside is to take a gondola tour. Almost always the gondola tour route includes this area, but to avoid disappointment ask the gondolier to confirm before paying or if you book a tour online read the itinerary carefully.
To see the inside of the Bridge of Sighs you need to visit the Doge’s Palace: the normal tour route includes the bridge, while to access some areas of the prisons, e.g. the Torture Room and the Inquisition Room, you need to take part in the guided tours with special itineraries (in this case booking is required).
The entrance ticket to the Doge’s Palace is quite expensive, plus the queues are usually very long, so consider buying a tourist card that offers discounts on museums and monuments. If you are willing to spend a little more, it is worth booking a guided tour in the company of a history and art expert: there is so much to discover about this place that you won’t regret the money spent, plus the tours generally avoid queues!
The Bridge of Sighs is accessed from the Hall of the Magistrate of Laws. Via a small staircase downhill you will enter a narrow corridor: you will struggle to realise that this narrow, dark space is the interior of the romantic bridge you have admired from the outside.
Take the time to take a look at the view glimpsed through the perforated decorations of the small windows and try to imagine the state of mind of the condemned men who watched that same view knowing they would never be able to go out into the open air again.
After crossing the bridge you enter the Prigioni Nuove (New Prisons) and from there you can return to the bridge: this time you will cross it by walking along another corridor that takes you back to the Doge’s Palace, to the Hall of the Censors.
The Bridge of Sighs can be reached on foot in one minute from St Mark’s Square, in 10 minutes from the Rialto Bridge and in about half an hour from the railway station.
The nearest vaporetto stop is San Marco – San Zaccaria, served by all the main lines (even at night).
The Bridge of Sighs is located a stone's throw from St. Mark's Square and joins two palaces located on the two banks of Rio di Palazzo, a narrow canal that marks the border between the sestiere (district) of San Marco and that of Castello.
City Card allow you to save on public transport and / or on the entrances to the main tourist attractions.
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