Venice Bridges

From bare necessity, the bridges have turned in to actual symbols of the city, & are among the most representative features of Venice. Moreover each bridge, from the smallest to the most important one, from the public to the private ones, gives something more to this glorious city, & offers unique sights to tourists. There's over 350 bridges all around the city, but some of them are definitely more famous than others, & can be regarded as important monuments of the city.
The two bridges on the Grand Canal, in particular, are among the best-known bridges of Venice, & are crossed every day by tourists & by the Venetians, . Built on the most important waterway of the city, which divides Venice in two parts & is lined with some of the most important buildings of the lagoon city, these bridges are tourist attractions & indispensable constructions to link the two banks of the canal & make it simpler to visit the city.
The first bridge that was built on the Grand Canal, & most probably the most famous bridge in Venice, is Rialto Bridge. The bridge that they can still see nowadays was built in 1588, but the first bridge on this zone was built in 1175: it was a bridge on boats, which was replaced by a fixed bridge in 1265. After the collapse of this wooden bridge, a firmer one had to be built, & lots of architects made their proposals. Antonio Da Ponte’s projects won: he had projected an Istrian stone bridge (a material that has been often used in Venice), made up of two ramps hosting shops & covered by an elegant portico.
Until the 19th century the Rialto Bridge was the only bridge on the Grand Canal, but in 1854 the Accademia Bridge, its name deriving from the nearby Gallerie dell’Accademia, was built. In the beginning it was an iron bridge, but to keep away from its deterioration another material needed to be chosen: thus a contest was announced for the project of a stone bridge. Meanwhile, a temporary wooden bridge designed by Eugenio Mozzi was built, & it's seldom been replaced, becoming the definitive bridge.
The third bridge, the Scalzi Bridge, also called Station Bridge because it is close to Santa Lucia Railway Station, was designed by Eugenio Mozzi & rebuilt in 1932. In lieu of the Istrian stone single span bridge that they see now, before 1932 there was an iron bridge, which had been built by the Austrians in 1858.
The last bridge to be built on the Grand Canal, the Constitution Bridge, was recently realised to connect the Station to Piazzale Roma. The bridge, born of a project by the great architect Santiago Calatrava, was inaugurated in September 2008, & although it is a contemporary work, it's some features which are typical of Venice monuments, like Istrian stone, which has been used together with other materials (steel, glass & bronze).
Besides the two bridges spanning the Grand Canal, there's other fascinating bridges in Venice that tell us something about the city’s history & that, for this reason, are worth visiting, like the Bridge of Sighs, the Bridge of the Tits & the Bridge of Fists.