The Ponte de le Tette and the Fondamenta de le Tette are located in Venice, on the border between the districts of San Polo and Santa Croce, in the parish of San Cassiano.
At the time of the Republic of Venice, the whole area (Carampane) was
a real "red light district" where there were many brothels and one of
them was located just above the Breast Bridge. Prostitutes, looking out
the window towards the bridge below, used to lure passers-by by showing
their uncovered breasts, thus giving the bridge its singular name.
According to the historian Tassini, this custom could have been
imposed on prostitutes by a law of the Republic of Venice, with the
objective of “turning, with such incitement, men from sin against
nature. », in reference to the practice of sodomy, judged very
negatively in 16th century Venice, where it was punishable by death.
Au pont des Tétons is the title of a song by Italo Salizzato and
Emilio De Sanzuane presented at the Leon d'oro New Song Contest at the
Teatro Malibran in 1984.