ITALY – Venice, Ponte dei Sospiri // From Russia With Love (1963)
Convicts saw the Bridge of Sighs from the inside, Bond played it more safe with a gondola ride. Nowadays you can have it both: Here are your best options to see the magnificent bridge.
Why Bond was here
Back in the days, Bond (Sean Connery) knew, what fits for a romantic gesture. After his first big brawl with SPECTRE in “From Russia With Love” he gets the girl and escapes to Venice. There, Bond takes Tatiana Romanova (Daniela Bianchi) on a gondola ride along canal Rio di Palazzo – passing under Ponte dei Sospiri, or Bridge of Sighs, right before the end credits start rolling.
Bond and Tatiana at their gondola ride through Venice
How you gonna get there
What was romantic back in 1963 still is one of the most smoochy things to do in Venice today. The Ponte dei Sospiri is one of the (many) architectural gems in Venice. Crowds line up to see it both on neighboring bridges and gondolas to see it.
The bridge is at the heart of the city and combines the Palazzo Ducale with the dungeon of Venice. You can get a good view at Ponte dei Sospiri leaving Piazetta di San Marco to the east. Stroll along the elegant seafront promenade Riva degli Schiavoni and right from the first bridge, Ponte della Paglia, you’ll have a great view on Ponte dei Sospiri. Walk some more minutes further and you’ll find the luxury Hotel Danieli, where Bond stayed in “Moonraker”. Turn left at the Danieli and walk along Calle de la Rasse will lead you to Ponte de Canonica – the other bridge, that offers a good view on the Ponte del Sospiri.
Good to know
The Bridge of Sighs doesn’t have its name from a romantic habit, but because it is the last walk many convicts made in freedom. It leads from the interrogation rooms in the Palazzo Ducale to the prison. So the prisoners sighed at the final glimpse on the Venice lagoon before they moved on into their cells. Between the beautifully crafted white lime stone facade you are able to see massive stone bars in the windows.
Throughout the day the Bridge of Sighs is always crowded. If you want to enjoy a more quiet atmosphere, you may come before sunrise. The lime stone is illuminated, making the bridge look like it is floating over the dark waters.
Ponte del Sospiri – the Bridge of Sighs – at night
Another great option – and the Bond option – is to rent a gondola and let yourself navigate underneath the Ponte dei Sospiri by the gondoliere. You will find many gondoliere queuing up at the canals or the boat station Zaccaria in front of Hotel Danieli. Don’t try to haggle for prices, as the gondoliere agreed on fixed prices throughout the city. A half hour tour is 80 Euro, additional costs come for the sunset hour or a singing gondoliere.
Make sure to agree on the route beforehand. A lot of smaller half-hour-trips don’t cover the Ponte dei Sospiri, but go along the less crowded canals in Castello. During noon the canal Rio di Palazzo is usually full of boats, so expect gondola traffic jams. So you might not get to see much at a short gondola ride.
There is a third option to see the bridge: from the inside! Get a ticket for the stunning Palazzo Ducale, the Doge’s Palace, and visit the rich interior of the former chief of Venice. Included is a tour to the prison cells. So you are able to walk the way from the palace rooms over the bridge – sigh at the laguna look – and move on to the dungeon. It is the way, a certain seducer, bested probably only by Bond, once had to take: Giacomo Girolamo Casanova.
We made a tour with our little daughter, who was as awe-struck as we were. Our gondoliere started at the lagoon. The waves give you a little thrill as the small gondola is heavily rocking. Then we turned into Rio de Palazzo and passed underneath the beautiful stone bridge before moving into more quiet water ways in Castello. If you stay in Venice, try to catch a gondola during the weekdays. We opted for a Tuesday and had a beautiful ride. On Fridays and Saturdays the canals are always jammed – what makes a gondola ride less romantic but at least allows for small talk with the neighboring boat.
© 2015 Huntingbond (1,3,4), © 1963 Danjaq S.A. & United Artists Corporation (2)