Bridge of Sighs

The Bridge of Sighs is a covered bridge with two narrow corridors made from Istrian stone and built in the 17^th century to join the Ducal Palace to the Palazzo delle Prigioni Nuove which also houses the former torture rooms and court offices.

Legend has it that prisoners crossing the bridge on their way to prison would cast a final look at the city and its lagoon through the little windows, and give a sigh of regret for their lost freedom and the loves they had left behind; thus the romantic name Bridge of Sighs.

The most renowned of all these prisoners was the noble Giacomo Casanova, whose escape from the notorious inviolable prisons of the Piombi was one of the high-points of the many adventures of this celebrated Venetian womaniser!