Which bridge in Venice connects the Doge's Palace to the Prigioni Nuove?

The Bridge of Sighs connects Venice’s Doge’s Palace with the New Prison, or Prigioni Nuove. The enclosed stone bridge crosses the Rio di Palazzo and was built to carry prisoners between the palace’s interrogation rooms and the prison.

Architect Antonio Contin designed the bridge, which was constructed between 1600 and 1603. It is made from white Istrian stone and has small windows covered by stone bars. Its enclosed design reflected its practical purpose: prisoners could be moved securely between judicial and prison areas without entering the public streets.

The romantic name became associated with the sighs prisoners supposedly breathed as they caught their last view of Venice through the barred windows before imprisonment. That picturesque story helped turn a working passageway into one of Venice’s most photographed landmarks.

The Rialto Bridge is a common mix-up because it is Venice’s best-known historic bridge, but it crosses the Grand Canal and has shops. The Bridge of Sighs crosses a much narrower canal beside St. Mark’s Square and links the Doge’s Palace directly to the New Prison.