The Ponte dell'Accademia is one of only four bridges in Venice, Italy, to span the Grand Canal. It crosses near the southern end of the canal, and is named for the Accademia galleries. The bridge links the sestiere of Dorsoduro and San Marco.[1]
First suggested as early as 1488, a bridge was not constructed until 1854. The original steel structure, designed by Alfred Neville, was demolished and replaced by a wooden bridge designed by Eugenio Miozzi and opened in 1933,[2] despite widespread hopes for a stone bridge. The second bridge, in a dangerous condition, was razed and replaced by the present bridge, of identical construction, in 1985. As of 2011, a replacement bridge is under discussion.[3]
Lovers attach padlocks ("love locks") to the metal hand rails of the bridge, but the Venice authorities have attempted to crack down on this.[4]