"Le Canal Grant [...] est la plus belle rue que je croy qui soit en tout le monde, et la mieulx maisonnee, et va le long de la ville. Les maisons sont fort grandes et haultes, et de bonne pierre, et les anciennes toutes painctes; les aultres faictes dipuis cent ans: toutes ont le davant de marbre blanc, qui leur vient d'Istrie, à cent mils de là, et encores maincte grant piece de porphire et de sarpentine sur le davant" Philippe de Commynes, Mémoires, XV sec.
Whether one travels it in a gondola or a vaporetto, this majestic waterway still provides one of the most quintessentially Venetian views of the city. Almost four kilometres in length, with a width that varies between 30 and 70 metres and a maximum depth of just over 5 metres, the Grand Canal divides the city into two, almost equal, halves - and feeds the rising and falling tides of the lagoon into a whole network of lateral canals. Originally both a port and a canal, it is still the main road through the city. As Venice developed, the most important trade warehouses and family homes/business premises were constructed on the Grand Canal. And flanked by architecture of unrivalled quality, the Canal itself became the setting for various regata and other ephemeral celebrations. The following itinerary is very simple and undemanding, given that it just involves catching a vaporetto. So whether you are wanting to get from one side of Venice to the other - or else just want to give your legs a rest, you have an ideal opportunity to increase you knowledge of the city (given that a visit to Venice is not only a visit to its calli and campi but also a visit to its canals and waterways). The only thing to remember is to avoid rush hours and the periods of peak tourist traffic. But apart from that one precaution, one can take this trip at any time of the year. In fact, the varying seasons, the changes in light and reflections off the water, the different atmosphere of workdays and holidays, the overwhelming drama of a sunset or the splendour of a palace hall lit up for a party, are all things that can add to the pleasure of a trip down this unique "street".
Before catching the boat make sure it is the one you want. The cost of the ticket does not depend on how far you are going down the Canal, so the only problem you have is to make sure you get a good seat once you are on board. The best guides give a full description of the various buildings that face onto the Canal, so you can have a good time identifyimg the churches and palaces as they appear one after the other. If you start your trip from the St. Mark's end of the Grand Canal, you will be able to plunge right into the innermost heart of the city. Whilst if you start your trip at the other end - either at the road traffic terminus of Piazzale Roma or the rail terminus of Santa Lucia Station, you will find the city unfolding in a gradual crescendo of magnificence that climaxs at WSt. Mark's. Plans are afoot to revitalize these two traffic termini: the project involves replacing the rail buildings built at the turn of the centre with a tourist/recreation centre that can house the Venice Casino. This will mean building an indispensable fourth bridge over the Grand Canal, linknig the station (1) with Piazzale Roma (2). The Spanish architect Santiago Calatrava's designs for this bridge were presented to the press in summer 1996.
As is well known, there are at present only three bridges over the Grand Canal: Ponte degli Scalzi (3), Rialto Bridge (4) and the Accademia Bridge (5). The first two are in stone, the third is a wooden structure. The first and third are quite recent constructions, whilst the Rialto Bridge is as old as the city itself. Rebuilt several times after fire, the present bridge dates from the 16th century and is a veritable symbol of Venice. The bridges provide means for crossing the Canal at a centre point and at two points near either end. This, of course, means that pedestrians often have to make large detours to get from one side of the city to the other. This is one of the reasons why a number of canals have been filled in over the last two centuries, and ne is often coming across streets with the name "rio terˆ", which means "filled-in canal". However, while it may be true that people no longer use boats to get about as they once did, it is also true that all goods traffic in the city is still carried by water - so boats go on playing a very important part in the city's life. Crammed vaporettos proceed at a leisurely pace from stop to stop along a waterway that is also used by large "tope" - barges - making their deliveries, by motor taxis, fire boats, and police and ambulance launches. There there are the shining gondolas carrying groups of Japanese to the accompaniment of harmonica music, more spartan gondolas transporting people from one side of the Canal to the other, and - towards evening - the various "mascarete", "puparini" and "sandoli" that take to the water as people relax and practice their Venetian rowing. The water poles on either side of the Grand Canal have a precise code: the grouped poles - the so-called "bricole" and "dame" - are for the mooring of heavier public vehicles, whilst the colours of the isolated poles - or "paline" - reveal which institutions or familes can moor their boats there.
The waters of the Grand Canal lap against the stones of some of Venice most majestic palaces. This array of majestic palaces is only rarely interrupted by a campo or church facade (the unbuilt areas that form the other gaps in the chain of facades are due to the demolition of palaces). Though the buildings are a veritable anthology of tastes and styles, they reveal aspects of form and technology that have remained unchanged for centuries. The traditional form of a Venetian palace originates in the specific characteristic of the site and also in the requirements of those who were going to use the building as both residence and business premises. Such requirements meant that architects could only move so far from the traditional forms of construction. The light brick walls, the large multi-light windows in the facades, the famous "Venetian" floors, the typical beamed ceilings - all these are only some of the spectacular features of these palaces which in fact served to guarantee their solidity. Usually a palace has two or three floors and a mansard, which run from an internal courtyard to the canal (this was the frontage that was usually the main facade, with its typical tripartite symmetrical division and a concentration of multi-light windows in the central section). This distribution of windows corresponded to the internal layout: the central part of each floor was the long room known as the "portego". This was a characteristic feature of Venetian architecture and ran the whole length of a palace, flanked by other smaller rooms. A visit to any Venetian palace reveals that the "portego" has maintained its semi-public function. Originally intended as the place for the display of merchandise or the signing of contracts, it has now become a reception area, a place for parties or else a gallery in which to hang one's collection of valuable paintings. From the light and airy loggia at the end of the "portego", a Venetian noble family could observe - and be observed by - the entire community. One can walk along only brief stretches of the Grand Canal. There are only a few "riva" or "fondamenta" that give onto it; and the inverted-S shape of the Canal does nothing to allievate the casual visitor's sense of disorientation. Venetians themselves, who are used to the city's networks of alleyways, tend to keep their use of vaporetti to a minimum; however, they can never agree as to which is the quickest or best route to get from one place to another. When walking about Venice one only gets the odd glimpse of the Grand Canal, but one can get a fuller view of it from one of the Gondola ferryboats. Such ferry crossings give the eye a chance to enjoy whole stretches of the Canal - a real change from the usual dense labyrinth of Venetian alleyways and calli.
