The Rialto Bridge is the oldest of the four bridges spanning the Grand Canal in Venice, Italy. Connecting the sestieri of San Marco and San Polo, it has been rebuilt several times since its first construction as a pontoon bridge in the 12th century, and is now a significant tourist attraction in the city.

The Rialto Bridge consists of a single stone-arch span that supports a broad rectangular deck carrying two arcades of shops fronting on three roadways. The lower chord of the bridge is only 83 feet (25 metres) in length, while the width is 66 feet (20 metres). To support the wide stone arch in the soft alluvial soil, 6,000 timber piles were driven under each abutment, and the bed joints of the stones were placed perpendicular to the thrust of the arch.

Considered the true heart of Venice, this landmark bridge, characterized by its 24-foot arch, is built on approximately 12,000 wooden pilings that still support the bridge more than 400 years after it was built.

Even though it is a huge tourist attraction I felt the need to photograph it. Almost every photo I have seen has been during the day with hundreds of tourists all over it. So I decided that I wanted to shoot it at night, unlike most every other image I have seen. Below is the resultant shot. Hope you enjoy it!