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 [...]
Tag: watercourse in Venice
Canale di San Donato
Canale di San Donato is a watercourse on the beautiful island of Murano, in Venice. DESCRIPTION OF CANALE DI SAN DONATO The Canal of Saint Donatus is preceded by Canale San Giovanni to the south and divides into Canale Zenobio to the north and Canale di San Mattia to the west. The canal has a length of about 700 meters and a width between 15 and 25 meters. ARCHITECTURE Canale di San Donato has on its banks some remarkable monuments. The most important of them is the Basilica of Santa Maria e San Donato, also known as Duomo di Murano, one of the oldest churches in the Venetian Lagoon. The church was originally built in the 7th century and rebuilt in the 11th century. According to legend, the church contains the relics of Saint Donatus of Euroea and three large bones behind the altar said to be the bones of a dragon slain by the saint. On the banks of the canal, we can find ancient structures, such as Palazzo Giustinian, which houses the Glass Museum of Murano (Museo del Vetro), the former Monastery of San Martino, Ca’ Trevisan, Ca’ Pesaro-Pavanello, Palazzo Cappello, and the Tiepolo House (Casa Read more [...]
Rio dei Vetrai
Rio dei Vetrai is a small watercourse in Venice, located on the beautiful island of Murano. The canal is dedicated to the local glassmakers (vetrai meaning glassmakers), and on its banks you can find many ancient glass factories. DESCRIPTION OF RIO DEI VETRAI Rio dei Vetrai has a length of about 500 meters and connects the Grand Canal of Murano, to the north, with Canale dei Marani, to the south. ARCHITECTURE The Church of San Pietro Martire is a church located on the western bank of the canal, in its northern part, dedicated to Saint Peter Martyr, a 13th-century Catholic priest. Across the canal, there is the former Church of Santo Stefano, dedicated to Saint Stephen, with its beautiful Clock Tower (Torre dell’Orologio), one of the symbols of Murano. The banks of the canal (Fondamenta Daniele Manin on the eastern bank and Fondamenta dei Vetrai on the western one) house many of the Murano glassworks. Among others, there are the former Franchetti Murano Glassworks from the 19th century, the Gino Mazzuccato Furnace, the CAM Furnace from the 16th century, the AVEM Glassworks founded in 1830, and the Mosaic Factory from the 16th century. On the banks of the Read more [...]
Rio dell’Arsenale
Rio dell’Arsenale is a watercourse in Venice, located in the sestiere (district) of Castello, near the Venetian Arsenal (Arsenale di Venezia). Initially called Rio de la Madonna, the canal was later named after the Venetian Arsenal. DESCRIPTION Rio dell’Arsenale has a length of about 260 meters, and practically expands Canale delle Galeazze, the main artery of the Venetian Arsenal, towards the south, where it joins the San Marco Basin. ARCHITECTURE From north to south, along its course, we can see the magnificent gate of the Arsenal of Venice, Ponte dell’Arsenale, also know as Ponte del Paradiso, the Naval History Museum of Venice (Museo Storico Navale di Venezia), Campo San Biagio with the Church of San Biagio, and finally, before the canal joins the San Marco Basin, Ponte San Biasio delle Catene. Porta Magna, the main gate of the Arsenal of Venice, was built around 1460 in Venetian Renaissance style. The gate was probably built by Antonio Gambello after a design by Jacopo Bellini. Two sculptures of lions were brought from Greece in 1687, and placed in front of the gate. The Naval History Museum is a museum owned by the Italian Navy. The museum collects historical evidence concerning Read more [...]
Rio del Ponte Longo
Rio del Ponte Longo is a watercourse in Venice, located on the island of Giudecca, in the sestiere (district) of Dorsoduro. DESCRIPTION Rio del Ponte Longo has a length of about 300 meters and a width varying between 30 and 40 meters. It crosses the island of Giudecca from north to south, where it joins the Giudecca Canal. The canal is crossed by Ponte Longo (Long Bridge), connecting Fondamenta Ponte Longo and Fondamenta San Giacomo. The bridge was originally built of wood in 1340, to connect the older part of the island with the newer one. Later, the wooden bridge was replaced by an iron bridge. HOW TO GET THERE The closest vaporetto stop is Redentore, about 350 meters away, on the waterbus Lines 2, 4.1 and 4.2.
Canal Grande di Murano
Canal Grande di Murano (Grand Canal of Murano) is the main watercourse of Murano, which flows from east to west for about 1.3 kilometers, dividing the island in two. DESCRIPTION From east to west, the canal has three distinctive parts: Canale San Giovanni, Canale Ponte Longo and Canale degli Angeli. The first part, Canale San Giovanni, flows from south to north, has a length of about 300 meters and a width of 60-70 meters. At one point, Canale San Giovanni intersects with Canale di San Donato, which flows to the northeast, and changes its course to the west, transforming into Canale Ponte Longo. The second part, Canale Ponte Longo, has a length of about 300 meters and a width of about 40 meters. It stretches from the intersection with Canale di San Donato up to Ponte Longo, the only bridge crossing the Grand Canal of Murano. After the bridge, to the west, there is the third part of Canal Grande di Murano: Canale degli Angeli. This part has a length of about 700 meters, and a width between 40 and 150 meters. It flows into the Venetian Lagoon, west of Murano. ARCHITECTURE The only bridge over the Grand Read more [...]
Canale di Cannaregio
Canale di Cannaregio is one of the most important waterways in Venice. It connects the Grand Canal with the northern lagoon by crossing the western area of the Cannaregio district (sestiere), between Fondamenta di San Giobbe and Fondamenta di Cannaregio. DESCRIPTION Canale di Cannaregio has a minimum width of 22 meters as it passes under Ponte delle Guglie, a maximum width of 27 meters in front of the Ca’ Foscari University Campus, and is about 800 meters long. Due to its size, the canal allows crossing not only for small boats, but also for the ACTV waterbuses. ARCHITECTURE Two bridges cross the canal – Ponte delle Guglie (Bridge of Spires), dating back to the 16th century, the only one in Venice adorned with pinnacles, and Ponte dei Tre Archi (Bridge of the Three Arches), the only example of a multi-arched bridge in the city. At the intersection with the Grand Canal, there is the Church of San Geremia e Santa Lucia, built starting with 1753. The two facades of the church were built in the second half of the 18th century, one facing Campo San Geremia, and the other overlooking the Cannaregio Canal. Next, on the western bank Read more [...]