Bridge of Sighs (Ponte dei Sospiri) - Venice, Italy

The Venice Bridge of Sighs (Ponte dei Sospiri).

The bridge spans the Rio di Palazzo canal.

It connects the Doge's Palace (Palazzo Ducale) on the left and the New Prisons (Prigioni Nuove) on the right.

The only completely closed and covered bridge in Venice. Inside, there are two completely separate corridors. This design was to prevent prisoners from escaping and from seeing or communicating with each other during transit.

Contrary to popular belief, the name does not refer to the sighs of lovers. The term was popularized by Lord Byron, the famous English romantic poet in the 19th century. Through the small, stone-barred windows of the bridge, the prisoners could see the free world for the last time - the lagoon and the island of San Giorgio - before being escorted to the dark prison cells after their sentence in the Doge's Palace, sighing deeply for their lost freedom.