Bridge Fifty-Five - Ponte San Barnaba

Two steps away from the Ponte dei Pugni lies the Campo San Barnaba flanked by the church of that name, and yes, you guessed it, the bridge of that name as well.



The campo was a hive of activity as a flea market set up right outside the church door did good business. The church is now used as an exhibition space, particularly for an exhibition of some of Leonardo da Vinci's ahead-of-their-time machinery. The church's other claim to fame is that it has appeared more than once in well-known movies, including "Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade". Venice has appeared in many movies as a backdrop, starting from the early days of cinema, and seems to be firmly established on the itineraries of Hollywood location scouts.



But back to business - we're here to look at the bridges! The Ponte San Barnaba has all the elements of the nicest-looking Venice bridges with a red brick and white stone base and decorated keystone finished off by a decorative cast iron railing with a version of the leafy patterns we've seen on a few bridges before.  The keystone ornament has the date 1873 inscribed, which is probably when the bridge was rebuilt in its present form.