Venice In Detail

The Bridge of Sighs is designed by Antonio Contino. (“A View On Cities”) It was built at the beginning of the 17^th century, and took two years to complete. It connects the Old prison and interrogation rooms in the Doge’s Palace to the New prison across the canal. The bridge is made in Italian Renaissance or baroque style, and it is the only covered bridge in Venice. It has narrow windows that let very little light pass through, and there are two corridors with a wall in-between – one for political prisoners, the other for criminals.

“I stood in Venice, on the Bridge of Sighs; A palace and a prison on each hand; I saw from out the wave of her structure’s rise; As from the stroke of the enchanter’s wand."  (Lord Byron – Childe Harold)

There are a few different theories of the origin of its name. The most popular one is that the prisoners would “sigh” when they crossed the bridge to get to the prison, looking outside the windows of the bridge, as it would be their last glimpse of the outside world. (“A View On Cities”)

But as mentioned earlier, the windows of the bridges are too small for the prisoners to look outside, and some people did not believe in this theory. There is another, more local, theory: it is said that if a couple kisses on a gondola at sunset under the bridge, their love will be eternal. So the sighs come from the lovers overwhelmed by the romance as well as those who got tired of public display of affection. (“A View On Cities”)

Crossing the Bridge of Sighs meant death for most of the prisoners because of the lingering influence of summary executions from the past. However, Glacomo Casanova was the only one who succeeded in getting away from the prison after crossing the Bridge of Sighs. (“The Bridge of Sighs, the Bridge of the Sorrowful....”)

The Bridge of Sighs is known as one of the best bridge architectures in the world. The bridge has many sculptures, most of them with sad or angry faces except for one. There are some covered bridges with the name ‘bridge of sighs’ after this bridge in different countries including England, Sweden, Germany, the U.S., etc.  ("The Bridge of Sighs, the Bridge of the Sorrowful....")

The Bridge was renovated a few years ago after a piece of marble fell off the Doge’s palace and struck a tourist in the leg. Due to the lack of funding, the restoration project heavily depended on the advertisements, and the entire bridge and some parts of the surrounding buildings including the Doge’s Palace and the Prison were covered by Coca-Cola billboards. (Kington) There was a bitter controversy over the Bridge of Sighs overrun by billboards, but Giorgio Orsoni, the mayor of Venice, simply responded as following: “Venice, which is obliged to maintain these precious monuments, is forced to adopt this system”; how the Bridge had been returned to its “extraordinary splendor and was now completely safe after an operation that was privately funded and cost the public nothing.” (Pisa) But after all, the restoration definitely made the Bridge more attractive, as it assured the safety of tourists and cleared the ugly black cruse and rust that had been developed for over 400 years.

The view through a slit of the window on the Bridge of Sighs

The view through a slit of the window on the Bridge of Sighs

Crossing the Bridge of Sighs myself allowed me to get a glimpse of how the prisoners would have felt. The Doge’s Palace was so beautiful with giant rooms with countless artworks, but the passage that led me to the Bridge surprised me about how dry and depressing a space can be. When I entered the Bridge of Sighs, the small pieces of the world seen through the windows would make the prisoners realize the freedom they will never get back. It was brutal because it was so pretty outside the windows – the contrast between the clear sky and the green ocean, the islands seen far away, and the bridge over a canal where gondolas float peacefully.

Sources:
"Bridge of Sighs: Ponte dei Sospiri." A View On Cities. N.p.. Web. 16 Mar 2014. <http://www.aviewoncities.com/venice/bridgeofsighs.htm>.
"The Bridge of Sighs, the Bridge of the Sorrowful...." Visit Venice, Italy. N.p.. Web. 16 Mar 2014. <http://www.visit-venice-italy.com/bridges-venice/bridge-of-sighs-venice-italy-ponte-sospiri.htm>.
Kington, Tom. "Venice." Venice's historic buildings 'violated' by billboards, say cultural experts. The Guardian, 03 Oct 2010. Web. 16 Mar 2014. <http://www.theguardian.com/world/2010/oct/03/venice-violated-billboards-norman-foster>.
Pisa, Nick. "The Telegraph." Venice's Bridge of Sighs unveiled following controversial restoration project. The Telegraph, 30 Nov 2011. Web. 16 Mar 2014. <http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/italy/8926449/Venices-Bridge-of-Sighs-unveiled-following-controversial-restoration-project.html>.