A superb feat of engineering, Antonio da Ponte’s 1592 Istrian stone span took three years and 250,000 gold ducats to construct. Adorned with stone reliefs depicting St Mark, St Theodore and the Annunciation, the bridge crosses the Grand Canal at its narrowest point, connecting the neighbourhoods of San Polo and San Marco. Interestingly, it was da Conte's own nephew Antonio Contino who designed the city's other iconic bridge, the Ponte dei Sospiri (Bridge of Sighs).
When crowds of shutterbugs clear out around sunset, the bridge's south side offers a romantic view of black gondolas pulling up to golden Grand Canal palazzi (mansions).
