Every bridge in Venice was built like this once: a stone arch and nothing at the sides. Two survive. This one survived because it was private, and private things were left alone.
At a glance
The bridge crosses the Rio de San Felice from the Fondamenta San Felice and belonged to the Chiodo family, whose name it keeps. It is a private bridge: it leads to the doors of houses and does not carry on into a public street. Built of brick and stone, it is the only stone arch left in Venice with no bande — the low side walls Venetians have called by that name since the seventeenth century.
What you see
A shallow arch, a handful of steps, and an edge on both sides with nothing between you and the water. Look at the eighteenth-century view painters and you see the whole city like this: Canaletto’s bridges have no sides. From the nineteenth century onwards they were all given parapets for safety, one after another, until only two were left without — this one, and the Ponte del Diavolo on Torcello.
Why it matters
Heritage is usually protected by a decision. This survived by an omission. Because the bridge was private property leading to private doors, the rules that changed every other bridge in Venice had no purchase on it, and so the ordinary Venetian bridge of four centuries is still standing here, in a side canal, looking like an oversight. It is the only place in the city where you can see what the painters were painting.
Practical information
- The bridge is private and leads to houses; look from the fondamenta rather than crossing
- There is no barrier of any kind. Keep children close, and mind the edge
Getting there
Waterbus to Ca’ d’Oro, then about six minutes on foot north from the Strada Nova along the Fondamenta San Felice.
Sources
- Conoscere Venezia, Ponte Chiodo privato, sul Rio de San Felice — on the Chiodo family, the private status, the construction and the absence of bande
- Conoscere Venezia, Elenco dei ponti esistenti a Venezia e nelle isole del suo estuario
Editorial text © Cultural Heritage Online, 2026. Video filmed and narrated on site by Andrea Manzo.
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