Bridge Six - What is 'Storto' bridge?

On the 100 Venice Bridges Challenge I learnt a good few new Italian words, but none stuck the way 'storto' has. It means 'distorted' and refers to bridges that are crooked, or distorted and usually stretch across a canal at an angle. It’s no secret that Venice isn't laid out according to any sort of grid pattern, which means that streets and alleys often don't meet at a canal across from each other. The maze of walkways don't meet up, so bridge builders had to be innovative and connect them with bridges that appear like they were built late at night by drunken engineers without much planning beforehand.

Quite a few bridges in Venice - at least six of them - are named 'Ponte Storto', and I couldn't see a way the company in charge of Venice's bridges, Insula, could easily distinguish between them other than having to look up co-ordinates or addresses each time the had to go scrub off some new graffiti or repair crumbling brickwork. I’d imagine the phrase ’what Ponte Storto are you talking about?’ is one probably heard quite often in Venice.

So, bridge number six was the first of many ’stortos’ we encountered on the Challenge route. It's a small stone bridge dating from the 1800s but, as in many cases, earlier versions of the same bridge dates back to the 1500s with simple iron railings that crosses the narrow, quiet Rio del Remedio at an angle, running into a narrow alley at each end. If you stay at the Casa Verardo hotel you'll be crossing this bridge a few times since the front door of the hotel leads directly onto the bridge.