"What news on the Rialto?" asks a merchant in the opening scene Act 3 in Shakespeare's Merchant of Venice.
A hub of commerce, shipping news, and gossip for centuries, the Rialto (from Rivo Alto or High Bank) is the pulse of Venice. Today, it's an area of over-priced shops and souvenir stands, spanned by the magnificent Rialto Bridge.
This beautiful 16th century stone bridge replaced a series of wooden bridges (one of which collapsed from the weight of a crowd hoping to catch a glimpse of a aristocrat's wedding procession).
In 1524 the city held a competition for a design for the bridge, which was meant from the start to be an architectural symbol of Venice.
The most famous artists of the time, including Michelangelo, Sansovino and Palladio, submitted drawings. But the Venice's treasury was so low on funds, that all three men had died by the time the commission was awarded some sixty years later.
The aptly named Andrea Da Ponte (Andrew From the Bridge) was the architect in charge of the project. But all did not go smoothly. There was tremendous difficulty because of the instability and height of the sea bottom.
And that's not all. There's a legend that the work was slowed because for some weeks whatever was built during the day, collapsed into the Grand Canal each night. Naturally, a series of foremen were fired for this.
One day, a young man named Sebastiano was given the foreman's position. He was determined to succeed because his wife was expecting their first child and he needed the money.
Sebastiano decided to stay behind and watch all night to see what was causing the collapses. Sure enough, on the stroke of midnight, the day's work toppled into the Canal with a loud crash.
Then came an evil laugh. Poor Sebastiano's blood ran cold, but he turned toward the sound and there was the Devil himself.
"All your work will be to no avail," he said. "No one will be able to complete this bridge of stone. However, if you wish, I could help you--for a price."
"What do you want? My soul?" cried Sebastiano.
"No, not yours," the Devil replied. "I want the soul of the first to cross the bridge once it is built."
The young man accepted the terms, the work was eventually completed--and Sebastiano had a plan.
Since the Devil hadn't specified that the first over the bridge had to be a person, he planned to release a rooster at daybreak before the official opening of the bridge. And he arranged for guards to keep anyone from crossing the bridge before the opening ceremony.
But the Devil is not so easily bested.
Dressed as a workman, the Devil knocked on the Sebastiano's door, and told his wife that her husband needed her immediately. She hurried to the bridge and since the guards recognized her they let her cross over to where Sebastiano was just arriving with the rooster.
He was horrified and greatly regretted his folly in making a deal with Devil. Sure enough, his wife gave birth that very day to a stillborn baby and died herself before the sun set.
From then on, the ghost of the baby haunted the bridge, until one night an old gondolier heard a tiny sneeze. "God bless you, little one," he cried out, and heard a faint "Thank you" in return. His blessing had saved the soul of the baby and released its soul. And so the hauntings stopped.
I love collecting stories like this to tell when I'm leading a tour. If you go to Venice you can hardly help but cross the steps of the Rialto Bridge's three walkways.
I hope you'll think of this story when you do.
