Il Gobbo di Rialto

Map. 

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The so-called Gobbo di Rialto, or the Hunchback of the Rialto, which can be found on one side of the Campo San Giacomo di Rialto, was carved in 1541 by Pietro da Salò.

The platform, which the crouching figure supports, was used by government officials wanting to make proclamations to the people. It was also used as the finishing point for a punishment for minor misdemeanours. The guilty party would be stripped naked and made to run a gauntlet of citizens lining the streets from Piazza San Marco to the Rialto.

​The statue does not, in fact, represent a hunchback, but a porter from Bergamo. In the 15th century the Republic of Venice conquered the city of Bergamo and many of its citizens migrated to Venice in search of work. In time, the Bergamasco became a stock figure in Venetian comedy, representing the simple-minded rustic. 

Gobbo di Rialto

Gobbo di Rialto