Builder who designed the most enduring image of Venice
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| Da Ponte's Rialto Bridge, completed in 1591, is one of the best known images of Venice |
The Rialto Bridge over the Canal Grande (Grand Canal) has appeared in countless paintings and photographs of the city over the centuries since it was completed in 1591 and it is now a popular spot from which to take photographs when visiting the city.
Ponte’s design for the stone bridge, a broad single arch span covered with arcaded shops, won him a competition held in Venice in 1587 and it also ensured him a place in the history books.
Previously, a wooden bridge, Ponte da Moneta, built in 1178, was used as the way of crossing the Grand Canal at its narrowest point, but this bridge collapsed and had to be rebuilt several times over the centuries.
The Venetian authorities decided to replace the wooden bridge with a more permanent structure and held a competition for the design for the new bridge in 1587.
Da Ponte’s idea for a bridge made out of stone was eventually picked as the winner by the judges acting on behalf of the Venetian authorities, who were led by the Doge at the time, Pasquale Cicogna.
When it came to constructing his design, Da Ponte was helped by one of his relatives, Antonio Contin, sometimes referred to as Conte, who went on later to design the famous Bridge of Sighs - il Ponte dei Sospiri - in Venice.
Da Ponte had previously worked on other building projects in Venice, including warehouses, a hospital, the Doge’s Palace, and the Arsenal.
.jpg "Da Ponte, a respected designer, built the bridge after winning a competition") |
| Da Ponte, a respected designer, built the bridge after winning a competition |
Between 1577 and 1592, Da Ponte collaborated with Andrea Palladio on the construction of the Church of the Redeemer on the Giudecca, which was built by Venice to honour a pledge made after the plague of 1576 in the city came to an end.
Even though many other proposals for rebuilding the Rialto had been made by famous architects at the time, Pasquale Cicogna still chose to announce a competition, which he then decided to repeat after all the designers who entered suggested a classical design with many arches.
After the second competition, it is believed Da Ponte’s design was chosen by the Doge over the one submitted by the architect Vincenzo Scamozzi because Da Ponte had proposed building a bridge with a single arch.
The new Rialto Bridge, built of stone and looking exactly as it does now, was completed by 1591. Da Ponte was in his seventies by then but was able to look proudly on his work for a few more years.
Da Ponte was in his early eighties when he died. He is buried in the Church of San Maurizio, which is in the San Marco sestiere of Venice.
The English playwright William Shakespeare, who is known to have been fascinated by Italy, may have read about the newly-built Rialto Bridge. In his play, The Merchant of Venice, there are several mentions of the Rialto district in Venice, notably the famous line: ‘What news on the Rialto?’, a question that is asked by a character called Solanio near the beginning of the play.
There is no evidence that Shakespeare ever visited Italy himself, but he may have mixed with Italians living in London and it is known that he read books in Italian so he must have had some understanding of the language.
The play is believed to have been written by him at some time between 1596 and 1598 and the merchant referred to in the title just happened to be called Antonio.
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| The Ca' Rezzonico, built in Baroque style, is a notable palace on the Grand Canal |
The Canal Grande (Grand Canal) sweeps through the heart of Venice, following the course of an ancient river bed. Since the founding days of the Venetian empire, it has served as the city’s main thoroughfare. It was once used by great galleys and trading vessels, but nowadays is teeming with vaporetti - the city’s water buses - as well as water taxis, private boats, and gondolas. The palaces bordering the winding waterway bear the names of the old Venetian aristocratic families and represent the finest architecture designed for the republic over its many centuries of history. When the ambassador to Charles VIII of France visited Venice in 1495, he afterwards referred to the Grand Canal as ‘the most beautiful street in the world.’ Its most notable palaces include the gilded Ca' d'Oro, the Baroque Ca' Rezzonico, the Renaissance-style Ca' Vendramin Calergi, the iconic Ca' Foscari University, and the Palazzo Venier dei Leoni, which houses the Peggy Guggenheim Collection.
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| The former Church of San Maurizio is now a museum |
The Church of San Maurizio in Venice, where Antonio da Ponte was buried, was rebuilt in the sixteenth century on the site of a previous church in the Campo di San Maurizio in the sestiere of San Marco. The church was modified again in 1806 by the architect of Teatro La Fenice, Gianantonio Selva. It has now been deconsecrated and is home to the Museo della Musica, a museum dedicated to the Baroque music of Venice, which displays examples of period instruments and documents relating to Vivaldi and other Venetian composers of the same period. The Artemio Versari collection of instruments recounts the golden epoch of stringed instrument making in 18th century Venice. Visitors can experience the sound as well as the sight of these instruments. As well as Venetian instruments, there are examples by such makers as Amati, Guadagnini and Goffriller, among the greats in Italy’s proud tradition of luthiers.
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More reading:
Vincenzo Scamozzi, an architect whose legacy can be seen in Venice and Vicenza
Andrea Palladio, the humble stonecutter who became architecture’s biggest name
Also on this day:
43BC: The birth of Roman poet Ovid
1898: The birth of society jeweller Fulco di Verdura
1934: The birth of football coach Azeglio Vicini
1940: The birth of racing driver and entrepreneur Giampiero Moretti