VENICEThe Rialto Bridge
FIVE
The Ponte di Rialto, or Rialto Bridge, gets its name from the part of Venice it is in. This locality was the ancient city of Venice, and derives its name, Rialto, from Rivo Alto, as the land on the left of the canal was called. Even after the city expanded it continued to be the center of commerce and trade, the business heart of Venice. In this quarter were the Fabriche, or warehouses and custom houses, and many of the handsomest buildings, such as the Fondaco dei Turchi (Warehouse of the Turks) and the Fondaco dei Tedeschi (Warehouse of the Germans). It is this part of the city that Shakespeare means, when Shylock says:
“Signor Antonio, many a time and oftIn the Rialto you have rated meAbout my moneys.”
“Signor Antonio, many a time and oftIn the Rialto you have rated meAbout my moneys.”
“Signor Antonio, many a time and oft
In the Rialto you have rated me
About my moneys.”
The first Bridge of Rialto was built by an engineer named Barattieri in 1180. Up to this time a bridge of boats had been used. Barattieri’s bridge may be seen in the great picture of Carpaccio in the Accademia. In the sixteenth century there was a great competition for the honor of designing the new bridge. Fra Giocondo, Sansovino, Palladio, Vignola, and even Michelangelo himself contended. Antonio da Ponte obtained the coveted prize, and he began the present Ponte di Rialto in 1588 under Doge Pasquale Cicogna. At its completion it was very much criticized. Soon, however, this criticism was silenced, and on the engravings of the time it is called “Il Famoso Ponte” (The Famous Bridge). The span of the Rialto Bridge is 91 feet; its height is 24½ feet; its width, 72 feet.
The Annunciation on the bridge is by Girolamo Campagna. The angel is at one end of the span, and the Madonna is at the other end. The dove, flying toward the Madonna, forms the keystone of the bridge.
Along the footway of the bridge is a long line of shops.
Close to the Rialto Bridge is the Church of St. Giacomo di Rialto. This church is said to date from the foundation of the town. It possesses no remains of its antiquity. The campanile of the Church of St. Giacomo is a fine example. Built almost altogether of brick, the long lines of its arcades give an effect of great height. The details are good. Their character is Gothic.
Facing the church a statue of a hunchback, “Il Gobbo di Rialto,” supports a pillar. From the back of this statue the laws of the republic were proclaimed, and this was the center of business life in Venice.
And as we gaze upon all these relics of the past we agree with Lawrence Hutton:
“So strange and so strong is the power of fiction over truth, in Venice, as everywhere else, that Portia and Emilia, Cassio, Antonio, and Iago appear to have been more real here than are the women and men in real life. We see, on the Rialto, Shylock first, and then its history and associations; and the Council Chamber of the Palace of the Doges is chiefly interesting as being the scene of Othello’s eloquent defense of himself.”
PREPARED BY THE EDITORIAL STAFF OF THE MENTOR ASSOCIATIONILLUSTRATION FOR THE MENTOR, VOL. 1, No. 27, SERIAL No. 27
A TYPICAL VENETIAN CANAL, VENICE
A TYPICAL VENETIAN CANAL, VENICE