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Ponte della Libertà, pontoon bridges

Page 7 of 9
From: Bridges of Venice

Ponte della Libertà and Ponte della Ferrovia

Not all of Venice's bridges are limited to pedestrians. In the three photos below, the 4-km/2.5-mile Ponte della Libertà car bridge (which is conjoined with the Ponte della Ferrovia or railroad bridge) links central Venice to the Italian mainland.

Temporary bridges

Venice has several large temporary pontoon bridges that are rebuilt and disassembled each year, while small wooden walkways called passerelle come and go with acqua alta flood tides. 

BELOW: Once a year, city workers install a temporary pontoon bridge from Dorsodoru to the island of La Giudecca during the Festa del Redentore or Feast of the Redeemer.

The bridge terminates in front of the Redentore Church on Giudecca, where a ceremony takes place and church members have a candy sale. (Later in the evening, the canal is packed with boats during a magnificent fireworks show.)

BELOW: Another temporary pontoon bridge connects the tip of Dorsoduro with the Piazza San Marco area during the Venice Marathon, which takes place in late October. (The bridge is for runners only.)

BELOW: Elevated wooden walkways called passerelle help Venetians and tourists keep their feet dry when acqua alta, or tidal flooding, brings lagoon water into streets and squares.

BELOW: Not all passerelle are official. This ad hoc elevated walkway, made from grocery pallets, provided access to a COOP supermarket on the Fondamente Nove during acqua alta.

Next page: Accessible bridges

About the author:

Durant Imboden has written about Venice, Italy since 1996. He covered Venice and European travel at About.com for 4-1/2 years before launching Europe for Visitors (including Venice for Visitors) with Cheryl Imboden in 2001.

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