Rialto Bridge , or how to properly Italian, Ponte di Rialto - one of the eternal symbol of Venice is .
is the first and the oldest bridge across the Grand Canal through . It was originally made of wood, but was destroyed during the rebellion , resulting plot Bayamonte Tiepolo.A bridge collapsed in 1444 , under the weight of the crowd of onlookers gathered to see the wife of the Marquis of Ferrara. Rebuilt again once he got out of a tree built mechanism to raise the bridge for the passage of vessels .
After the collapse of two movable parts of the bridge in the XVI century , the Doge Pasquale Chikonya decided to build a more solid stone construction , under the arcades of which could accommodate retail shops.The competition was attended by such famous architects as Michelangelo , Palladio and Sansovino , but preference was given to Antonio de Ponte ( Ponte in Italian bridge). The bridge was built between 1588 and 1592 years , and came in a form to this day. Until 1854 the only bridge across the Grand Canal.
The bridge consists of a powerful arc length of 28 meters, its maximum height in the center is 7.5 meters. It was built in the narrowest part of the Grand Canal . The bridge rests on 12 000 piles driven into the bottom of the lagoon. On the bridge there are small shops of souvenirs, leather bags and jewelry.
The Rialto Bridge is currently one of the most famous bridges in Venice.
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