Construction of Rialto Bridge

The Rialto Bridge is the oldest of the four bridges across the Grand Canal in Venice, and for a long time it was the only one. It replaced earlier wooden bridges that burned or collapsed, and after a competition in which famous architects such as Palladio and Michelangelo offered designs, the commission went to Antonio da Ponte. His stone bridge has a single wide arch that lets galleys pass below, supported by thousands of timber piles driven into the lagoon bed. The upper level has two rows of shops separated by a central walkway. Critics at first doubted that the design would stand, but it has lasted for centuries and is one of Venice's best-known landmarks.

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