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Bridge of Sighs

 
 
Columbia Encyclopedia: Bridge of Sighs
Bridge of Sighs, covered stone bridge in Venice, Italy, built in the 16th cent. to connect the ducal palace with the state prison. The prisoners were led over the bridge directly to prison after trial in the ducal palace.


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Wikipedia: Bridge of Sighs
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The Ponte dei Sospiri - the Bridge of Sighs - in Venice
View from the Bridge of Sighs
The Bridge of Sighs at night

The Bridge of Sighs (Italian: Ponte dei Sospiri) is one of many bridges in Venice. The enclosed bridge is made of white limestone and has windows with stone bars. It passes over the Rio di Palazzo and connects the old prisons to the interrogation rooms in the Doge's Palace. It was designed by Antoni Contino (whose uncle Antonio da Ponte had designed the Rialto Bridge), and built in 1602.

The view from the Bridge of Sighs was the last view of Venice that convicts saw before their imprisonment. The bridge name, given by Lord Byron in the 19th century, comes from the suggestion that prisoners would sigh at their final view of beautiful Venice out the window before being taken down to their cells. In reality, the days of inquisitions and summary executions were over by the time the bridge was built, and the cells under the palace roof were occupied mostly by small-time criminals[1]

Contents

Cultural references

The following are mentions and references of the Bridge of Sighs in popular culture:

Literature

  • 1869 Mark Twain's book, Innocents Abroad, (Chapter 22) he goes under this bridge in a Gondola and describes the bridge in context with the masked judges and masked executioners and the Council of Three.
  • The Bridge of Sighs appears on the cover of the novel 'The Thief Lord' by German author Cornelia Funke.
  • "The Bridge of Sighs" is a novel written by French author Michel Zevaco.
  • In her novel " Pretend You Don't See Her," Mary Higgins Clark makes reference to the Bridge; as a murder victim's father looks upon paintings of his daughter.

Music

  • The Bridge of Sighs also has a brief mention in the title track of Blackfield's debut album, Blackfield of 2004 during the second verse. A project formed by Porcupine Tree founding member Steven Wilson and acclaimed Israeli Singer Songwriter Aviv Geffen.
  • Robin Trower released a studio album in 1974 called "Bridge of Sighs" bearing a title track of the same name. A hidden track on Metallica's Garage, Inc. consists of an instrumental piece of the Robin Trower song. The Swedish heavy metal band Opeth released a cover of Trower's "Bridge of Sighs" on the special edition of their 2008 studio album, Watershed.
  • Denise Ho released her song "Bridge of Sighs" in her 2006 EP. She performed this song on her concert HOCC Live in Unity 2006
  • Marillion song Jigsaw references the bridge in the verse "We are Renaissance children becalmed beneath the bridge of sighs, forever throwing firebrands at the stonework." Jazz artist Michael Franks also mentions the bridge of sighs in his song titled "Meet me in the deer park"

In the Roxy Music song"A Song for Europe" Bryan Ferry sings"Through silken waters my gondola glides and the bridge it sighs."

  • The Winston Jazz Routine has an album entitled Sospiri in which they have two songs "venice" and "the bridge of sighs"

Movies

Theatre

  • The Bridge of Sighs is referenced in Howard Barker's 1985 play, Scenes from an Execution. "URGENTINO: There is a bridge over there. On one side of the bridge there is a carpet. And on the other side of the bridge there is bare stone. And on this side of the bridge there are cushions, and on the other side there is straw. And on this side there are windows, but on the other side it is dark. On this side we laugh, and on that side they cry. Do you know the bridge? GALACTIA: The Bridge of Sighs." (291)[2]

The Bridge of Sighs is also referenced in the musical "Little Women" when Laurie and Amy are singing about his proposal in Venice under said bridge...the song is called "The Most Amazing Thing".

Manga

  • The Bridge is prominently featured in Aria book 1 - navigation (chapter) 3 titled 'The Bridge of Sighs'

Architecture

Video games

  • The Bridge of Sighs was the name of a level in Homeworld.

See also

The name "Bridge of Sighs" has since been applied by association to other similar covered bridges around the world, including:

References

  1. ^ Also, they could barely see any view from inside the Bridge due to the stone grills covering the windows. A local legend says that lovers will be granted everlasting love and bliss if they kiss on a gondola at sunset under the bridge.<ref=http://www.travelandleisure.com/activities/ponte-dei-sospiri-the-bridge-of-sighs
  2. ^ Barker, Howard (September 1990). Collected Plays, Vol. 1 (Claw, No End of Blame, Victory, the Castle, Scenes from an Execution). London: Calder. ISBN 978-0714541617. 

External links

Coordinates: 45°26′02″N 12°20′27″E / 45.43389°N 12.34083°E / 45.43389; 12.34083


 
 

 

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Columbia Encyclopedia. The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition Copyright © 2003, Columbia University Press. Licensed from Columbia University Press. All rights reserved. www.cc.columbia.edu/cu/cup/ Read more
Wikipedia. This article is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Bridge of Sighs" Read more