The Grand Canal in Venice

The Grand Canal, known as the "Canalazzo" by Venetians, divides the historic center of the city into two parts. It is much older than Venice, and the construction of the city along its banks had to adapt to the path that the main waterway takes.

The Canal stretches for about four kilometers and has the shape of an upside-down "S", having as its two ends the junction of the Liberty Bridge and St. Mark's Basin. On average, the Grand Canal is 5 meters deep, and its width varies at different points, where it can reach a maximum of 70 meters.

Throughout its perimeter, one can appreciate the testimonies of the greatness achieved by the Republic of Venice.

From the Santa Lucia train station, in front of Piazzale Roma, you can take a vaporetto ride that takes you to St. Mark's Square, crossing the entire Grand Canal. The city viewed from the water offers the best version of itself: the ornately decorated entrances of the wealthy palaces along the canal are facing the water, and seeing them from the vaporetto is truly breathtaking. Once on board, near the station, you can see the dome of the Church of San Simeon Piccolo. Continuing along the Grand Canal, you pass under the Scalzi Bridge, designed in the 1930s to allow pedestrian passage from one bank to the other of the Canal without having to reach Rialto. After crossing the Bridge, your eye is caught by the two imposing buildings flanking the canal. The Gothic-style building on the right bank is Ca' Foscari, while the one on the left is Ca' Calbo Crotta. Continuing the navigation, you come across an elegant gray building from the 16th century. Here was hidden one of the most famous "tolerated houses" of Venice. It is in this area that the legend of Biagio developed, the gruesome butcher who had the shop on the opposite bank, later becoming Riva di Biagio, and it is said he was tasked with making unwanted children conceived in the brothel disappear.

Continuing along the waters of the Grand Canal, your eye is caught by the monumental structure of the Church of San Geremia, where the mortal remains of St. Lucy of Syracuse are kept. Beyond the Church, on the left side, a series of noble houses with finely decorated facades rise: Ca' Martinengo, Ca' Contarini, and Ca' Gritti. From here on, the grandeur of the buildings is a continuous crescendo. The Church of San Marcuola with its brick facade faces the Byzantine building Fondaco dei Turchi, which houses the Natural History Museum of Venice. On the same bank is the warehouse turned school called Fondaco del Megio. The building was originally created to be a storage facility, as indicated by the Arabic word "Fonduk" that names the structure.

Right in front of the Fondaco stands proudly the Municipal Casino, housed in the elegant Ca' Vendramin Calergi. Shortly after, you can see the last residence of Richard Wagner, the German composer who spent his last days in Venice, the Grimaldi Wing, characterized by its small garden. The vaporetto then arrives at San Stae, where on the left bank stand Ca' Pesaro, the current site of the Museum of Modern Art and the Museum of Oriental Art, and the unique Ca' Corner della Regina. Continuing on this route, following the natural course of the Canal, past the Fondaco dei Tedeschi, you begin to see the Rialto Bridge, the pedestrian passage over the Grand Canal that has accompanied the city's development for centuries. The Grand Canal then reaches the city, where the palaces take on warmer and more vibrant colors, leaning against each other to optimize space. After the Rialto stop, you can't miss Ca' Dolfin Manin, home of the Bank of Italy, followed by the residence of the poet Pietro Bembo, aptly named Ca' Bembo.

Continuing, you reach one of the most bizarre buildings in Venice, Ca' Bernardo, built with asymmetrical first and second floors and clearly slanted. Further on is Ca' Mocenigo Vecchia, a 16th-century palace where Giordano Bruno was arrested, later burned in Rome in 1600. The navigation then leads to the southern section of the Canal where the past and present confront each other: on the right is Ca' Rezzonico, owned by the family of Pope Clement XIII, current site of the Museum of Venetian Settecento, and on the left, Palazzo Grassi, purchased by the French magnate Francois Pinault, who has set up a display of contemporary artworks from his rich collection inside. This leads us to the Academy Bridge, the pedestrian passage that allows access from the city center to the art gallery housed in the deconsecrated Monastery of Santa Maria della Carità. To the left of the bridge is Ca' Franchetti, a patrician residence adorned with neo-Gothic motifs. To the right appears the imposing balcony with sculptures and the large staircase of Ca' Venier dei Leoni, home of the Peggy Guggenheim Museum. At the edge of the canal, the Dome of Santa Maria della Salute comes into view, conceived as a votive offering for the entire city at the end of the terrible plague wave of 1630. Passing the Customs House and its distinctive wind signal flag shaped like Lady Fortune on a golden globe, the right bank descends into the sea, while on the left, the diminishing beauty of the buildings prepares for the inevitable final scene of St. Mark's Square, framed by the Twin Columns, the Doge's Palace, and the Bell Tower, as well as the beautiful Clock Tower.

There are very expensive gondola tours or private boat rides. For gondola tours, you should expect to pay at least 200 euros which can increase dramatically depending on the requested itinerary.

The most economical way is the public vaporetto L1 that departs from Santa Lucia and arrives at St. Mark's.

The vaporetto runs from 5 AM to around midnight and the ticket costs 8 euros.