Due Ponti (Rio Terrà, Fondamenta dei)
Curiosità Veneziane by Giuseppe Tassini is the go-to book for information on Venetian toponyms, and a treasure trove of curious historical titbits. First published in 1863, it is still being reprinted regularly.
There is no English translation of the book, so I will translate selected entries on this site, whenever they’re used as sources for articles.
Due Ponti (Rio Terrà, Fondamenta dei) to the SS. Ermagoras and Fortunatus. Before the canal was filled in in 1820, here two bridges, which were joined together where they were rose, and then widened, creating two Fondamente, the right of which was called Querini, and the left S. Leonardo up to the church of this saint, and Barzizza from the church to the Rio di Cannaregio. Dezan believes that the Rio dei due Ponti, which ran between these two Fondamente, was the ancient Comenzaria of Cannaregio, a word interpreted by Gallicciolli as canale a mano nel suo principio.
The Fondamenta dei due Ponti was called Balbi for a building already owned and inhabited by this family.
In 1802, Paolina Clotilde, aunt, and Marietta, niece, Alberegno, notified Domenico Tiepoletto of renting the soler di sotto of their building in Due Ponti. This was one of the sons of G. B. Tiepolo, famous painter, who continued in his father’s art, and almost reached him in excellence.
Note by Lino Moretti
In 1889 the Rio terrà dei Due Ponti changed name to Rio terrà San Leonardo. The Due Ponti locality extended between the Rio terrà del Cristo and the Calle del Fruttarol. With the interment of what remained of the Rio dei due Ponti or Balbi, completed in 1911, the fondamenta Balbi and the parallel fondamenta Farsetti also disappeared, which gave its name to the new Rio terrà which the inhabitants of the area continue to call Rio morto.
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Original Italian text
Due Ponti (Rio Terrà, Fondamenta dei) in Curiosità Veneziane.
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