Venice -Grand Canal - Bridges & Grand Canal Video

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Day 9 & 10 - Grand Canal Cruise

The Grand Canal
"The Most Beautiful Street in the World"


The Grand Canal is Venice's pride and joy.  This ancient waterway follows a natural channel that winds its way through the city in a large reverse S shape, traveling from the San Marco Basin on one end to a lagoon near the rail station on the other.  It is roughly 16 feet deep, 2.36 miles long, and ranges from 100-300 feet wide.  At various points, the Grand Canal connects with a maze of much smaller and more narrow water channels that snake through the city, connecting the more than 120 little islands.


The blue line traces the Grand Canal.  All of the other dark lines represent the lesser
waterways that define the 120 little islands which are connected by all types of bridges.



All of these waterways are the lifeline of Venetian life.  Everything that is done by motor vehicles in most cities must be done by watercraft in Venice.  There are specific boats to deliver everything from pianos to UPS packages, bottles of wine to boxes of shoes.  Boats to deliver food and pick up trash.   Barges for wedding parties and funerals, and speed boats for postal service, fire brigade, 
police and ambulances. Tourists usually cruise the canal on a gondola or
a waterbus called a vaporetta.



The Bridges
There are hundreds of bridges that cross the many waterways in Venice, but only four cross over the Grand Canal.  Watch for these as we cruise the canal.

The Rialto

Once a 12th C floating pontoon, the Rialto is the oldest bridge.  When rebuilt of stone in the 16th C it was lined with shops.  Its engineering was considered so audacious that many predicted its future collapse.  But, daPonte's design defied the critics, and today it is one of the most photographed bridges in the world.

Bridge of the Scalzi - Bridge of the Barefoot Monks


The original was built in 1858 to connect the city to the new train station.  It got its quirky name for the nearby monastery.  After realizing that it was too low to allow the passing of large boats, it was replaced by this elegant stone one.

Academia Bridge

First constructed of steel in 1854, it was demolished under Mussolini's rule and replaced with a temporary wooden structure.  A half-century later, a competition was held for a new design.  Turns out they decided not to pick a winner.  Instead, they rebuilt the very same original design with added steel supports.

Constitution Bridge

Also called the Calatrava Bridge for the architect, this bridge was met with strong objections to its cost (10 million euros), its modern design and slippery steps.  Located near the train station, it has turned out to be the most-used pedestrian bridge in Venice. 

Comments

  1. Maggie MayFebruary 25, 2019 at 12:07 AM

    Three of us travelers (Margie, Jan Hungate, & Joanie) toured Italy in October 2018 and we can't wait to go back! Venice is beautiful! We loved St. Mark's, the Doge's Palace and Prison and just walking all over. We took a water taxi to San Giorgio Maggiore but we didn't know we were going the all the way down the Grand Canal out into the lagoon to get there! We missed going up the bell tower and inside the church but we saw a beautiful sunset from the water and loved exploring with no one else but us on the island! The ride back was stunning along the Grand Canal at night and our late night dinner at Il Paradiso was divine.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Maggie MayFebruary 25, 2019 at 12:11 AM

    I could post a few photos of Venice if I knew how! Instructions anyone? Margie Davis

    ReplyDelete

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