Bridge of Sighs and around the world, as well as to other structures. See Bridge of Sighs (disambiguation). The 1861 opera "Le pont des soupirs" by Jacques Offenbach features the bridge, as does the song "Venice" by Gibraltarian band Melon Diesel. "Bridge of Sighs" is also both a 1974 album and song by English musician Robin Trower. Bridge of Sighs The Bridge of Sighs (Italian and ) is a bridge located in Venice, northern Italy. The enclosed bridge is made of white limestone, has windows with stone bars, passes over the Rio di Palazzo, and connects the New Prison ("Prigioni Nuove") to the
Gateshead Millennium Bridge Tyne Bridge, and stands as the sixteenth tallest structure in the city. The bridge was lifted into place in one piece by the Asian Hercules II, one of the world's largest floating cranes, on 20 November 2000. It was opened to the public on 17 September 2001, and was dedicated by Queen Elizabeth II on 7 May 2002. The bridge, which cost £22m to build, was part-funded by the Millennium Commission and European Regional Development Fund. It was built by Volker Stevin. Six diameter hydraulic rams (three on each side, each powered by a 55 kW electric motor) rotate the