The Rialto Bridge is one of the four bridges that cross the Grand Canal, in the city of Venice. Of the four, the Rialto bridge is the oldest and certainly the most famous.

The first passage on the Grand Canal consisted of a bridge of boats. A real bridge, resting on wooden poles, was built by Nicolò Barattiero and took the name of "Ponte della Moneta" because, at the eastern end of the work, there was the old mint.
The increasing importance of the Rialto market on the eastern side of the canal increased traffic on the floating bridge. Around 1250 it was replaced by a structural wooden bridge. Given the close association with the market, the bridge changed its name and became Ponte di Rialto. In the first half of the fifteenth century two rows of shops were built along the sides of the bridge. The income from the rentals, collected by the state treasury, contributed to the maintenance of the bridge.
In 1310 the bridge was damaged during the retreat of the rioters led by Bajamonte Tiepolo. In 1444 instead it collapsed under the weight of the great crowd gathered to witness the passage of the procession of the bride of the Marquis of Ferrara.

In 1503 the construction of a stone bridge was proposed for the first time. In the following decades several projects were evaluated. The first project was executed in 1514 by fra Giovanni Giocondo for the remake of the Rialto market. Another collapse occurred in 1524. Only at the end of the 16th century Doge Pasquale Cicogna issued a competition. Proposals came from architects such as Jacopo Sansovino, Andrea Palladio and Giacomo Barozzi da Vignola, but all proposed a classic approach with many arches. The competition was re-proposed in 1587 and Vincenzo Scamozzi and Antonio da Ponte took part, but Da Ponte got the better of it; his project was chosen on June 9th, 1588, because he proposed a single arch.
The work was completed in 1591, thanks to the help of the architects Antonio and Tommaso Contin da Besso.