Rialto Bridge at the Venetian, footbridge in Las Vegas, US

Rialto Bridge at the Venetian is a footbridge over an indoor canal on the Las Vegas Strip. Its pale cream stone walkway and solid balustrade rest on a pale stone base pierced by a rounded arch; at each end, pairs of square pillars carry blue-and-white striped panels and dark multi-globe lamp posts. A row of small balusters and round medallions runs along the span, and an enclosed gallery with round-arched windows rises above.

The Venetian resort, with its Grand Canal Shoppes and this crossing modeled on Venice's Rialto Bridge, opened on the Las Vegas Strip in 1999. The bridge was built as a pedestrian span over the indoor canal, part of the resort's Venetian-themed design by architect Sheldon Adelson's development team. It carries a gallery of round-arched windows above the walkway.

The design borrows from a famous crossing in Venice, giving visitors a quick imitation of an Italian canal scene without leaving the desert city. People gather around the base to look at painted ceilings and gondolas gliding below, treating the structure as a backdrop for wedding proposals.

The bridge sits along a busy indoor walkway, so expect foot traffic from shoppers and people pausing for photos. Wide steps on each side make it easy to cross, and the area stays lit late into the evening.

Many visitors do not realize that the structure stands over a shallow artificial waterway filled with chlorinated water rather than a natural canal. Its railing also offers a direct sightline to an indoor painted-sky ceiling that shifts from day to night colors on a timer.