The Bridge of Sighs is the Venetian bridge connecting the Doge’s Palace with a former prison.
Built around 1600, the enclosed limestone bridge carried prisoners from interrogation rooms in the palace to cells across the Rio di Palazzo. Its name comes from the traditional idea that prisoners sighed as they took their last view of Venice through the small stone-grated windows.
The bridge was designed by Antonio Contin, whose uncle Antonio da Ponte designed the nearby Rialto Bridge. It has two parallel passages inside one covered structure, allowing movement in both directions without prisoners meeting.
The Bridge of Sighs is often confused with the Rialto Bridge, but the two have different roles and locations. The Rialto is a major crossing over the Grand Canal, while the Bridge of Sighs crosses a much narrower canal beside St Mark’s Square.