A number of wooden bridges followed this first bridge built from boats. In the middle of the 16th century, the senate decided a new bridge of stone should be built. The design chosen was hardly remarkable, although there are some fine reliefs by Agostino Rubini and Tiziano Aspetti.
Although Michelangelo, Palladio - who is said to have produced a grand columned design - Scamozzi and Sansovino all came up with plans for the Rialto bridge, the senate accepted those of a much lesser known architect, Antonio da Ponte, who built the bridge that stands today between 1588 and 1591. The bridge's single arch stretches 157 feet and is 25 feet high. It is divided into three lanes by rows of shops. The Rialto's markets have thrived since 1097. Destroyed by fire in 1514, they were reconstructed by Scarpagnino using medieval guidelines.
