Bridge of Sighs
Enclosed limestone bridge linking a palace's interrogation rooms to a prison across a narrow canal.
Location
About this audio guide
This guide to the Bridge of Sighs in Venice starts with Giacomo Casanova's 1756 escape from the Piombi, the lead-roofed cells in the palace beside this bridge, and the claim that he was the only person ever to break out of Venice's state prisons. It then turns to a twist about this bridge itself and to Lord Byron, who passed through Venice generations later and gave the crossing the name it carries today. Look for the ten small stone faces carved along the underside of the arch as you pass beneath it.
This audio guide was created using AI.
Similar places
Doge's Palace
Gothic palace of lacy stone arcades, once seat of the Doge, linked by a bridge to its former prisons.
Ponte dell'Accademia
Wooden arch footbridge over the Grand Canal, built as a temporary fix that never left.
Ponte del diavolo
Parapet-less stone bridge on a lagoon island, tied to a legend of a witch's pact with the devil.
Ponte di Rialto
Single-arch stone bridge over the Grand Canal, its ramps lined with shops built by a design many predicted would collapse.
Ponte degli Scalzi
Slender stone arch bridge over a grand canal, replacing a disliked nineteenth-century iron span.
Ponte delle Tette
Canal bridge once designated by decree for sex workers to solicit clients from windows above.