Venice is an ancient Italian city located on the mainland and 118 islands, together with the Venetian Lagoon, included in the UNESCO list. It is a memorial city that attracts tourists with its ancient Renaissance palazzo, bell towers, majestic cathedrals and picturesque canals.
Construction history
The main attraction of the city is the Rialto, an ancient bridge that connects the banks of the Grand Canal. It is considered a symbol, the hallmark of Venice. It is a pedestrian crossing and a shopping street with over 20 boutiques, shops and shops. Carnival masks, Murano glass and leather products, and exquisite jewelry are in particular demand. In other parts of the city, prices are usually lower, but tourists are happy to buy Venetian souvenirs here. In the XII century, people crossed the Grand Canal in boats that were fastened one after another. This unstable design has often led to tragedies with fatalities. There were fires, then it was generally impossible to get to the other side.
In 1181, they began to build a more convenient crossing - a pontoon bridge, but it was also not very reliable. It was named - Ponte della Monte, since there was a workshop nearby where coins were minted. The ferry was designed by the famous architect Niccolo Barattieri. Venice of that time was a major cultural and commercial center. To connect the banks of the channel, a new, more convenient and wide crossing was required. This time they decided to build not a pontoon crossing, but a bridge. The first wooden bridge appeared in 1250. It was built with a drawbar so that large-sized ships could pass freely. Nearby was the Rialto market, which gave the name to the new building, which remained behind it for centuries.
The building was constantly haunted by failures: in 1310 it was accidentally set on fire by soldiers who were summoned to suppress popular unrest. In 1444, when a huge crowd gathered to watch the competition of the gondoliers, the bridge could not bear its weight and collapsed. It was rebuilt again, but again it was built of wood. At the same time, the first trading rows appeared at the crossing, shops and shops were opened, in which there was a brisk trade in imported goods. This was beneficial to the state - the treasury received significant taxes from trade.
After the third collapse, they decided to build a wide, solid and convenient for trade structure of stone. It is known from ancient documents that in 1551 a competition was announced for the best design of a stone structure. The most famous architects took part in it, even Michelangelo, but Antonio de Ponte was entrusted with the creation of the project. There were various rumors - why this already quite elderly master got the development of the project. One of the explanations is because of the surname, which in translation means "bridge". The organizers of the construction considered that this is symbolic and should bring success.
Design features
Ponte built an amazing bridge, the strength of which has been tested by time. The bridge is not a drawbridge, but large merchant ships passed freely under it. The structure has a powerful arch with galleries, so an openwork and airy look is created. Steps lead to the center of the bridge, along which you can go down. The structure is decorated with bas-reliefs. From the side of the railway station, the bas-relief depicts St. Theodore, on the other side, scenes from the Annunciation are reproduced.
Structural design features:
- Installed on 12,000 piles
- Arch length - 28 m
- Highest point - 7.5 m
- Width - 22m
- Total length 48 m
The beginning of construction - 1588, the end - 1591, every day an average of 6,000 people cross the bridge. The restoration was carried out in 2015-2016. The work was done very carefully, without breaking the historical structure. Only 1% of the original materials have been replaced. Now the bridge stands in all its glory, besides the fact that it itself causes admiration, it offers a beautiful view at any time of the year.
Legends
The first wooden buildings were unlucky - they often burned, quickly fell into disrepair and required restoration. Finally, in the middle of the XYI century, a stone bridge was built, which still fascinates people today. Like almost any ancient structure, the Rialto Bridge has its own legends. One of them says: when the workers started construction, everything that was being built during the day was destroyed at night for unknown reasons. This went on for a whole month. One of the craftsmen, whose name was Sebastian Beortoloni, was interested in a quick and successful completion of the construction. He decided to find out why this is happening.
He came to a construction site at night and, hiding, began to observe what would happen next. At midnight Beortoloni heard terrible groans, sardonic laughter, knocking. At the same time, the bridge began to collapse with a terrible roar. It turned out to be Satan himself! The master decided to make a deal with the unclean. It consisted in the fact that the devil would give the opportunity to complete the construction, but for this he would take the soul of a creature that would be the first to pass through the new transition. I must say that Beortoloni's wife was pregnant. The work ended safely. Sebastiano thought that he could deceive the evil one by giving him the soul of a rooster and went to buy a bird in the morning.
But the devil was more cunning. He came to the master's wife, assuming the image of one of the workers. He said that her husband was waiting for her to watch the opening of the bridge. The woman walked unhindered along the passage, as the workers knew her well. When the master found out about this, he realized what trouble he had brought on himself: the child died, and his soul fell into the devil. At night, the master began to dream of a baby who was crying because he was constantly sick from the cold and humid air of the canals. This went on for a long time, until an old gondolier helped an innocent soul to find himself in heaven. Another legend is associated with bas-reliefs.
There is a building adjoining the bridge, which must be examined. It is historically associated with the bridge. They have two bas-reliefs. The architect made them in response to a disrespectful attitude towards his project.
According to legend, one noble Venetian woman argued that a flame would sooner appear between her legs than a bridge would be built, and a man who echoed her shouted that he would have a hoof instead of a reproductive organ. They were known to be wrong, but their threats came true. To punish these people for their unbelief, the architect made two bas-reliefs - one depicts a woman with a fire between her legs, the other a man with a hoof instead of an important organ.
In addition to the legend, a historical fact is known - the English writer William Shakespeare mentioned Rialto in his play "The Merchant of Venice". They say that during a trip to Venice, the eminent writer saw the bridge and was captivated by its beauty. Shakespeare described in detail in his work both the trading rows and the passage of ships under the bridge.
Place where business transactions took place
Venice - thanks to the development of navigation and the privileges that the merchants of the Venetian Republic had, turned into one of the main centers of trade. Until the 10th century, Venetian merchants could move freely, without duties, by sea and land. In the 11th century, merchants from other countries were obliged to sell their goods in Venice. All this contributed to the formation of the market and its rapid development. Silk, spices, coffee and jewelry went to Europe through Venice. The Rialto Market becomes the main trading venue and securities are traded. But there was not only a shopping center - but also a concentration of social life. Good communication was required between the banks of the Grand Canal at this point, which determined the construction site.
Where is it located and how to get there
If you are lucky enough to be in Venice, a beautiful city full of romance, it is impossible not to visit the Riolti Bridge. It is located in the central part of the city, connecting the two main districts of San Polo and San Marco. This is a pedestrian crossing, open at any time of the day.
- 1. From the airport, you can get directly by water by vaporetto (via Piazza San Marco) along the Grand Canal. Vaporetto - urban public transport in the city, which means "steamer" in translation. It is often called the river tram. Everything in it is like in ordinary transport - stop tickets, routes. There is also a bus from Marco Polo Airport to the islands of Venice, travel time is 25 minutes.
- 2. From the train station to the Rialto Bridge, a vaporetto runs through Piazza San Marco and Piazzale Roma along the Grand Canal. The travel time of routes 1 and 2 is 45 and 25 minutes, respectively.
- 3. From Piazza San Marco, the central square of the city, you can walk on the signs - “Rialto”. There are water taxis and gondolas running along the canal, but they are more expensive.
Venice is a romantic city with many attractions - the Museum of Modern and Oriental Art in Palazzo Ca Pesaro, the Golden House, the Goldoni Theater. A city that conquers and remains in memory forever.
