Bridge Of Sighs
Things to Do in Venice
The Bridge of Sighs, in Venice, Italy, is assuredly one of the most famous bridges in the world, but people who initially hear its name and do not see it in writing, sometimes think it is called the Bridge of Size, incorrectly assuming it is large. In fact, the Bridge of Sighs is only about 11 metres (33 feet) long, and connects two buildings, stretching over the Rio di Palazzo (Palace River).
Believed by some locals to be haunted, this bridge once connected the spartan interrogation rooms at the Doge’s Palace to the next-door prison. The “sighs” are thought to be those of agonized prisoners, and some claim they still echo on the bridge’s interior. The prisoners who crossed that bridge after it was built over three years ending in 1603 had bleak futures...
Fully enclosed to prevent potential escape, the bridge is made of white limestone. It boasts windows, but even those have stone bars in the form of decorative latticework. It’s a true work of art, if viewed from the freedom of outside. These days, it has become a place of good luck, not sad sighs. Romantics believe that if a pair of lovers kiss under the bridge, in a gondola, at sunset, they will enjoy eternal happiness.
Things to Do in Venice
Saint Marks Basilica
In about 1063, a group of Venetian statesmen and religious leaders decided to build a cathedral on the existing grounds of an even older church, the...
Grand Canal
The Grand Canal in Venice is indeed grand; it is wide and deep enough to take ocean-going vessels, but these have become a local issue...
Piazza San Marco
The plaza, or open courtyard, that envelopes the entrance to Saint Mark’s Cathedral in Venice is wide and long, and serves as much more...
Doges Palace
Throughout its many centuries as a city or city-state (before it became part of Italy proper in 1866), Venice has enjoyed and endured many forms of...
Rialto Bridge
The Rialto Bridge that spans the Grand Canal in Venice is famous for several things. First, you can shop there as it is lined with...
Dorsoduro
Given the propensity of Venice to suffer flooding, the Dorsoduro, which translates as “high ridge”, is ioncomparatively high, solid ground and impervious to the whims...
Murano
Murano Glassworks is world-renowned for its colourful glass objects, works of beautiful but practical art, hand-crafted on this island of Venice often referred to as...
San Giorgio Maggiore
This island, just south of the main area of Venice, and on the Venetian Lagoon, is virtually all church and churchyard. It once housed a...
Bridge Of Sighs
The Bridge of Sighs, in Venice, Italy, is assuredly one of the most famous bridges in the world, but people who initially hear its name...
Teatro La Fenice
Gran Teatro la Fenice, called simply, La Fenice, is the main theatre in Venice that supports opera. Like its sister venue, La Scala, in Milan...
Santa Maria Gloriosa dei Frari
After the better-known St. Mark’s Cathedral, Santa Maria Glorioso dei Frari is a significant minor basilica in the Venetian ecclesiastical landscape, one of the...
Santa Maria della Salute
Like many of the churches and minor basilicas in Venice (and Italy), Santa Maria della Salute, more commonly called, just “Salute”, is a treasure trove...
San Trovaso
The first time we floated past San Trovaso Roman Catholic Church, we thought it was an old, rather rundown, two-storey warehouse in the Dorodura area...
Things to Do in Venice
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