The Rialto - jvfolio

For more than four centuries, the Rialto Bridge has arched across the Grand Canal at the heart of Venice. Completed in 1591, its unmistakable stone span became one of the city’s great architectural symbols.

But the Rialto is more than the bridge itself. Gondolas slip beneath it, boats work the canal, crowds gather along its railings, and Venice carries on around it — much as it has for centuries.

A bridge built to connect two sides of Venice became one of the enduring images of Venice itself