Initially conceived as a fortified dam to divert the Mincio water flowing to Mantua, it has served as a bridge since then.

[2] In 1393, when his relationship with Francesco I Gonzaga, lord of Mantua, suffered a crisis, Gian Galeazzo Visconti began building a dam on the Mincio river to divert its water from its natural course.

[3] In addition to the dam's construction, the project implied excavating a canal through the hills separating the Mincio from the Adige River, toward which the water would have flown.

Despite the enormity of the excavation required for the canal, the Gonzagas and their allies became convinced of Gian Galeazzo's intention to divert the Mincio's water permanently.

Since then, every year, on the third Tuesday in June, a 1.5 km long double row of tables is organized along the entire bridge to celebrate an ample feast called "Festa del nodo d'amore" (Party of the Love Knot).