Joseph Heintz the Younger, Competition at the Bridge of Fists in Venice, 1673, Germanisches Nationalmuseum, Nuremberg.

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Joseph Heintz the Younger, Competition at the Fist Bridge in Venice, 1673, Germanisches Nationalmuseum, Nuremberg.

Its name derives from what it represented until the early 18th century: it was a tiny battlefield suspended above the canal.

The white marble footprints still bear witness to this. If this bridge could talk, who knows how many battles it would have to recount between the two Venetian factions, the Castellani and the Nicolotti.

It often happened that the rival factions of the Castellani and Nicolotti clashed out of jealousy, envy and rivalry, and their fights took place right on this bridge, which at that time did not have the protective parapets it has today.The Castellani were the inhabitants of eastern Venice, at the end of which is Castello; they were distinguished by their red caps and scarves.The Nicolotti represented the people living in the western part up to San Nicolò dei Mendicoli; they were distinguished by the black colour of their caps and scarves.The origins of the battles between these two factions ar

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