by Elizabeth Salthouse

The Bridge of Sighs in Venice is an iconic location. Tourists flock to take its picture, lovers and selfie sticks jostling for the best view. But few know the real history of the bridge, how it got its name or realize that it has links to the justice courts in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. And fewer still understand that it's more closely linked to imprisonment and death than romance. Here are six facts you probably didn't know about Venice's beautiful Bridge of Sighs.

The bridge was designed by architect Antonio Contino
The name probably doesn't mean much but local designer Antonio Contino came from good stock. His uncle Antonio da Ponte was the Proto al Sal or lifetime superintendent of public building works in Venice and also the architect of one of Venice's other iconic sights; the Rialto Bridge on the Grand Canal. In 1589 da Ponte took over work on the new prison next to the Doges Palace and, after his death in 1595, his nephews Antonio and Tommaso Contino finished the job in 1614 having added the wonderfully decorative Bridge of Sighs in around 1602.

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Fonte: L'italo-Americano