Grand Canal, known in Italian as Canal Grande, is the main waterway of Venice and the most important navigable route through the city’s historical center. Instead of a monumental avenue, Venice has a water boulevard, lined with palaces, churches, warehouses, hotels, museums, and public buildings. The canal crosses Venice in a wide inverted S shape, linking the area near Piazzale Roma and Santa Lucia railway station with the Saint Mark’s Basin. Along the way, it passes through the urban heart of the lagoon city, touching districts, markets, landing stages, and historic façades. The Grand Canal is about 3,800 meters long, with a width that generally varies between 30 and 70 meters. Its average depth is about 5 meters, allowing public transport boats, delivery vessels, gondolas, taxis, and service boats to circulate along one of Venice’s busiest routes. Canal Grande divides the historic center of Venice into two large parts, but it also connects them. Its banks are crossed by only four bridges, while most movement across the water historically depended on boats, ferries, private landings, and public vaporetto stops. For centuries, the Grand Canal was not just a scenic waterway. It was the economic, political, and social axis of Venice. Read more [...]