The Rialto bridge, built in its present form around 1590, was in Canaletto’s day the only bridge across the Grand Canal. It lay at the heart of Venice’s commercial district. Behind, to the right, is the Fondaco dei Tedeschi, the offices and warehouse of the German traders in the city. In the foreground is a booth for the sale of lottery tickets, where the vaporetto stop for the Rialto is now to be found.