The Last View of Venice
The Bridge of Sighs (Ponte dei Sospiri) is an enclosed limestone bridge connecting the Doge’s Palace to the Prigioni Nuove (New Prisons) across the Rio di Palazzo — built in 1600 to a design by Antonio Contino. The bridge’s name (coined by Lord Byron in the 19th century) refers to the sighs of prisoners who, passing through the bridge from the courtroom to the cells, glimpsed their last view of Venice and the lagoon through the bridge’s small stone-grilled windows.
The bridge is viewed from the exterior (the Ponte della Paglia on the waterfront provides the classic photograph) and walked from the interior (as part of the Doge’s Palace tour — you cross the bridge from the palace to the prisons and back).
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I walk through the Bridge of Sighs?
Yes — the bridge is crossed as part of the Doge’s Palace tour. The walk through the enclosed bridge (looking through the stone grilles at the canal below) is brief but atmospheric.