The Bridge of Sighs (

Italian Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, an ethnic group or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance language *** Regional Ita ...

: ''Ponte dei Sospiri'', vec, Ponte de i Sospiri) is a bridge in

Venice Venice ( ; it, Venezia ; vec, Venesia or ) is a city in northeastern Italy and the capital of the Veneto Regions of Italy, region. It is built on a group of 118 small islands that are separated by canals and linked by over 400 ...

, Italy. The enclosed bridge is made of white limestone, has windows with stone bars, passes over the Rio di Palazzo, and connects the New Prison (''Prigioni Nuove'') to the interrogation rooms in the

Doge's Palace The Doge's Palace ( it, Palazzo Ducale; vec, Pałaso Dogal) is a palace built in Venetian Gothic style, and one of the main landmarks of the city of Venice in northern Italy. The palace was the residence of the Doge of Venice, the supreme auth ...

. It was designed by

Antonio Contino Antonio is a masculine given name A given name (also known as a forename or first name) is the part of a personal name quoted in that identifies a person, potentially with a middle name as well, and differentiates that person from the oth ...

, whose uncle

Antonio da Ponte Antonio da Ponte (1512–1597) was a Venetian architect and engineer, most famous for his rebuilding of the Rialto Bridge in Venice. Antonio Da Ponte was head architect of the rebuilding of the Ducal Palace that was badly damaged by fire in 1574 ...

designed the

Rialto Bridge The Rialto Bridge ( it, Ponte di Rialto; vec, Ponte de Rialto) is the oldest of the four bridges spanning the Grand Canal in Venice, Italy. Connecting the ' (districts) of San Marco and San Polo, it has been rebuilt several times since its fi ...

. It was built in 1600.

Etymology

The view from the Bridge of Sighs was the last view of Venice that convicts saw before their imprisonment. The bridge's English name was bequeathed by

Lord Byron George Gordon Byron, 6th Baron Byron (22 January 1788 – 19 April 1824), known simply as Lord Byron, was an English romantic poet and Peerage of the United Kingdom, peer. He was one of the leading figures of the Romantic movement, and h ...

in the 19th century as a translation from the Italian "Ponte dei sospiri", from the suggestion that prisoners would sigh at their final view of beautiful Venice through the window before being taken down to their cells.

In culture

The 1861 opera ''

Le pont des soupirs ''Le pont des soupirs '' ("The Bridge of Sighs") is an opéra bouffe (or operetta) set in Venice, by Jacques Offenbach, first performed in Paris in 1861. The French libretto was written by Hector Crémieux and Ludovic Halévy. Plays, including ...

'' ("The Bridge of Sighs") by

Jacques Offenbach Jacques Offenbach (, also , , ; 20 June 18195 October 1880) was a German-born French composer, cellist and impresario of the Romantic period. He is remembered for his nearly 100 operettas of the 1850s to the 1870s, and his uncompleted opera '' ...

has the name of the bridge as a title. The Bridge of Sighs features heavily in the plot of the 1979 film ''

A Little Romance ''A Little Romance'' is a 1979 American romantic comedy film directed by George Roy Hill and starring Laurence Olivier, Thelonious Bernard, and Diane Lane in her film debut. The screenplay was written by Allan Burns and George Roy Hill, based on ...

''. One of the characters tells of a tradition that if a couple kiss in a gondola beneath the Bridge of Sighs in Venice at sunset while the church bells toll, they will be in love forever. ''

Bridge of Sighs The Bridge of Sighs (Italian: ''Ponte dei Sospiri'', vec, Ponte de i Sospiri) is a bridge in Venice, Italy. The enclosed bridge is made of white limestone, has windows with stone bars, passes over the Rio di Palazzo, and connects the New Priso ...

'' is the name of the second solo studio album released in April 1974 by English rock guitarist and songwriter,

Robin Trower Robin Leonard Trower (born 9 March 1945) is an English rock guitarist who achieved success with Procol Harum throughout 1967–1971, and then again as the bandleader of his own power trio known as the Robin Trower Band. Biography Robin Trowe ...

. A Bridge of Sighs is mentioned in the opening line of “

Itchycoo Park "Itchycoo Park" is a song written by Steve Marriott and Ronnie Lane, first recorded by their group, the Small Faces. Largely written by Lane, it was one of the first music recordings to feature flanging, an effect at that time made possible ...

” by the

Small Faces Small Faces were an English rock band from London, founded in 1965. The group originally consisted of Steve Marriott, Ronnie Lane, Kenney Jones and Jimmy Winston, with Ian McLagan replacing Winston as the band's keyboardist in 1966. The ...

Marillion, an English progressive rock band, mentions this particular bridge in their song ''Jigsaw''. ('We are renaissance children becalmed beneath the Bridge of Sighs').

Giles Corey Giles Corey ( August 1611 – September 19, 1692) was an English-born American farmer who was accused of witchcraft along with his wife Martha Corey during the Salem witch trials. After being arrested, Corey refused to enter a plea of guilty o ...

, an American slowcore band, likewise mentions this bridge in their song ''No One Is Ever Going To Want Me.'' Renowned American architect

H.H. Richardson Henry Hobson Richardson, FAIA (September 29, 1838 – April 27, 1886) was an American architect, best known for his work in a style that became known as Richardsonian Romanesque. Along with Louis Sullivan and Frank Lloyd Wright, Richardson is one ...

used the bridge as inspiration when designing part of the

Allegheny County Jail The old Allegheny County Jail in downtown Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania is part of a complex (along with the Allegheny County Courthouse) designed by H. H. Richardson. The buildings are considered among the finest examples of the Romanesque Revival s ...

complex in

Pittsburgh, PA Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States, and the county seat of Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, Allegheny County. It is the most populous city in both Allegheny County and Wester ...

. It was completed in 1888, and features a similar enclosed arched walkway that connects the courthouse and jail, therefore bearing the same name.

Gallery

File:Venise - Pont des Soupirs.jpg File:View from the Bridge of Sighs (Ponte dei Sospiri), Venice Italy.jpg, The bridge in front of the Bridge of Sighs. Picture taken from the Bridge of Sighs. File:Ponte dei Sospiri during maintenance.jpg, The Bridge of Sighs during maintenance File:Brooklyn Museum - The Bridge of Sighs - John Singer Sargent.jpg,

John Singer Sargent John Singer Sargent (; January 12, 1856 – April 14, 1925) was an American expatriate artist, considered the "leading portrait painter of his generation" for his evocations of Edwardian-era luxury. He created roughly 900 oil paintings and more ...

watercolor File:0 Venise, le pont des Soupirs franchissant le Rio di Palazzo o Rio della Canonica (2).jpg, The Bridge of Sighs seen from Ponte della Canonica. File:Pont des Soupirs Venise.jpg, Lateral view from Doge's Palace Looking out from the Bridge of Sighs

References

External links

Bridge of Sighs, Venice
* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Bridge Of Sighs Sighs Sighs Sighs Sighs Sighs Tourist attractions in Venice 1602 establishments in the Republic of Venice 1602 establishments in Italy

Etymology

In culture

Gallery

See also

References

External links