Bridge of Sighs is a photograph by Maria Coulson which was uploaded on May 3rd, 2014.
Bridge of Sighs
The Bridge of Sighs is a bridge located in Venice, northern Italy. The enclosed bridge is made of white limestone and has windows with stone bars. It... more
Title
Bridge of Sighs
Artist
Maria Coulson
Medium
Photograph
Description
The Bridge of Sighs is a bridge located in Venice, northern Italy. The enclosed bridge is made of white limestone and has windows with stone bars. It passes over the Rio di Palazzo and connects the New Prison to the interrogation rooms in the Doge's Palace. It was designed by Antonio Contino (whose uncle Antonio da Ponte had designed the Rialto Bridge) and was built in 1600. The view from the Bridge of Sighs was the last view of Venice that convicts saw before their imprisonment. The bridge name, comes from the suggestion that prisoners would sigh at their final view of beautiful Venice through the window before being taken down to their cells. In reality, the days of inquisitions and summary executions were over by the time the bridge was built. The cells under the palace roof were occupied mostly by small-time criminals. In addition, little could be seen from inside the Bridge due to the stone grills covering the windows. A local legend says that lovers will be granted eternal love and bliss if they kiss on a gondola at sunset under the Bridge of Sighs as the bells of St Mark's Campanile toll.
Venice is the capital of the Veneto region. The name is derived from the ancient Veneti people who inhabited the region by the 10th century BC.
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Uploaded
May 3rd, 2014
