Canal Grande and other Venice, Italy Things to Do Tips

From the 177 canal that criss-cross the city of Venice, the Canal Grande is to venice what the Main Street is to any other city. Canal Grande is 4 km long and winds in two curves through the city. Along Canal Grande you will see a long chain of the most beautiful palazzi.

Canal Grande has a lot of traffic: vaporetti (water buses), gondolas, water taxi's, small ferry's, police boats, barges with articles for the market, etc. It's like any busy street.

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The views from the top of the Campanile (98,5 m high) are unforgettable. The city stretches out on three sides, the lagoon on one side.
The tower originally served as lighthouse, guard post and ... torture room! It collapsed in 1902 and has masterly been rebuilt as per the 16th century design.

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Address: Piazza San Marco
Directions: You can't miss !

The Palazzo Ducale is a mixture of Byzantine, gothic and renaissance architecture. The palace used to be the residence of 120 dukes (doges) who governed Venice from 1100 years (from 697 till 1797). The original building from the 9th century was a fortress-like building whereas now one can admire an elegant gothic palazzo. Various artists have helped to make this a beautiful palace: Titiano, Tintoretto, Bellini ... as well as renowned architects as Antonio Rizzo and Pietro Lombardo.

When you're on Piazza San Marco the first sight from the Palazzo Ducale is the long colonnade with beautifully decorated capitals, a loggia and a wall of pink and off-white natural stones.

Inside the palazzo the Sala del Maggior Consiglio, decorated with paintings of Venetian triumphs and portraits of 76 doges. Furthermore the Sala del Senato, the Sala dello Scudo, the richly decorated doges rooms, the prisons and the Ponte dei Sospiri, the famous bridge that leads from the palace to the prisons.

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Address: Piazza San Marco
Directions: You can't miss !

Rialto Market has been the centre of trade for centuries, from 1097 onwards to be exact.
Every morning the merchants come with their fresh fruits and vegetables. The shopowners display their goods on the bridge and there's a really southern market feeling.

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Address: Ponte di Rialto

For centuries Piazza San Marco was the political and religious heart of Venice. It's difficult to imagine that, once, this piazza was nothing more than the garden of San Zaccaria monastery.
The most famous buildings on this piazza can be seen on the eastside: the beautiul Basilica and the Palazzo Ducale.
The piazza is world famous, so are the pigeons! It's never quiet on Piazza San Marco and, despite the exorbitant prices of hotelrooms and restaurants, business goes well in this part of the city!

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This breathtaking Byzantine style basilica on Piazza San Marco has been erected for two totally different reasons:
1) to reflect the power of the Venetian Republic
2) to use as the last resting place for Saint Marc.

On Piazza San Marco you see the west facade of the basilica. It's an overwhelming building with domes, columns, arcades and spires, alternated with marble statues and glittery mosaics. The mosaics are made of small glass tiles covered with gold leaf. Inside the basilica the mosaic floor is a masterpiece of colourful tiles.

Loggia dei Cavalli is a beautiful balcony overlooking Piazza San Marco.

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Ponte di Rialto is probably the most famous bridge in Venice. It's a 8 m high bridge that spans 28 m. The bridge dates back from 1588.
Rialto is the historical heart of the city as well as its highest point where the inhabitants didn't have to fear for being flooded. Most of the buildings in this neightbourhood are from the 16th century because Rialto has been destroyed by a fire in 1514.

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This small bridge leads from Palazzo Ducale to the palace's prisons.
The name of the bridge refers to the sighs of the prisoners when they were lead from the palace to the prison.

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Address: Piazza San Marco

These columns were erected in 1172 by Nicolo Barattieri, the architect of the first Rialto Bridge.

The column of San Marco (left) has a bronze winged lion on top of it, the symbol of San Marco.
The column of San Teodoro (right) has a marble statue of San Teodoro on top of it, the patron saint of Venice.

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Address: Piazzale dei Leoncini, Piazza San Marco
Directions: Piazza San Marco, close by the Canale della Giudecca

Make a day trip to the islands in the Laguna Nord: Murano, Burano, Torcello, etc.
It's wise to buy a 24-hour vaporetto ticket. The price (Oct. 2003) is 10 euro and it's valid on the Laguna Nord AND Canal Grande.

Murano is known for its Venetian glass - more information can be found on my MURANO page.

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Directions: At Fondamenta Nove take Vaporetto no. 42.