Grand Canal, Venice: Float in ecstasy

Venice is one of the most romantic cities in the world. Itis the perfect destination for your wedding, honeymoon or a romantic weekend break.VeniceItaly, is one of the most beautiful cities in the world and home to many attractions and sights.

One of the things that make Venice ‘the city of romance’ is the Grand Canalalso known by Venetians as Canalazzo, the major water-traffic corridor sweeping through this beautiful city. It is the main street of Venice.The Canal Grande snakes through the city of Venice in a large S shape, traveling from the Saint Mark Basin on one end to a lagoon near the Santa Lucia rail station.Shaped like a backwards “S,” a medieval sign of wonder and mystery, the Grand Canal down the ages has witnessed plenty of both.Only a few bridges cross the Grand Canal: the Accademia Bridge, the Rialto Bridge and the bridge near the station at Ferrovia. Stand on these and watch boats pass by filled with fruit and vegetables, slabs of soft drink and building materials because Venice is still a city without cars and everything the city needs has to be transported by water or handcart.

……it’s like magic 

The Grand Canal is one of the best ways to see the beauty of Venice. It is one of the most travelled water ways in Europe and the most popular in Venice, Italy. The canal is an ancient water route lined along its length with buildings. The best way to capture these Venetian buildings is to travel by the Vaporetto, the water bus. The Grand Canal was traditionally the high-rent district in Venice; houses were larger, and decoration was on a much grander scale. This makes sense when you consider that the Canal offers much greater opportunities for everyone to see the buildings facing it.

A Vaporetto (plural: vaporetti) is a water bus that takes both locals and visitors to the places they want and need to go throughout Venice. Because traveling the canals is the easiest way to get around the city, the vaporetti has long been the most efficient and cost-effective modes of transportation.Riding in the front offers the best views,so if you’re able to grab the forward seats, go for it. This will give you the opportunity to snap a lot of great pictures along your journey. During the summer, however, the vaporetti can become quite crowded, so the front seats are at a premium.

 

There is always time for a gondola ride

Couples can take a romantic Gondola ride along the Grand Canal.Gondolas were once the chief form of transportation through the canals of Venice. Today, they are generally used as sightseeing vessels for tourists willing to shell out quite a few euros for a ride on these historic rowing boats.Gondolasare tourist vehicles that visitors can hire for sightseeing purposes or purely for the opportunity to say they rode on one of these historic vessels. Many hire them for a romantic journey and, each year, hundreds of couples become engaged while sailing through Venice’s canals.Taking a trip with your spouse in Venice and failing to ride a Gondola is like going to New York and ignoring the statue of liberty. Many tourists also take advantage of a romantic gondola ride along the waterway, which is an especially memorable way to experience the canal.

These traditional and symbolic boats have been used as transport around the Venetial waterways for more than 10 centuries. Venice Gondola rides are without doubt the number one must-do attraction in Venice. Gliding through serene waters, while serenaded by your gondolier, against the stunning backdrop of Baroque building is an experience you won’t soon forget. A Venice Gondola Ride is truly one of the best ways to enjoy this enchanting city. Do you want to sweep your partner off their feet? Include a serenaded Gondola ride starting from the city center at Piazza San Marco,pass the Grand canal under the ‘Bridge of sighs’ (where you can steal a make out session). Stop at the church of Chiesa di Santa Maria, treat them at the nearby Trattorries (casual cafeteria) which serves tradition Italian cuisine.

Whether you’re feeding the pigeons at Piazza San Marco, riding the Vaporetto (water bus), searching for cheap bargains at San Polo, every sceneryalong the Grand Canal  looks like it was exclusively made for lovers.

Go shopping along the Grand Canal. Take your spouse to restaurants and enjoy the delicious Italian cuisine.

Here are someinterestingfun facts about Venice and the Grand Canal include:

1.            The city has 118 islands and more than 150 canals and 400 bridges.

2.            Venice only has twoofficial canals, Canal Grande and CanaledellaGiudecca.

3.            When two houses are linked by an arch, that’s a sign that the same family owned

4.            There are over 170 buildings on the Grand Canal including restaurants, hotels and entertainment venues.

5.            The Grand Canal is approximately 2.5 miles long and averages at a depth of about 16 feet

6.            Until the 19th century, there was only one bridge that crossed the Grand Canal.

7.            The Grand Canal divides the city of Venice in to two parts.

8.            Over 15 million tourists visit Venice each year.

9.            Lord Byron, the English poet swam the length of the canal after a liquid night on the town. One of his spurned mistresses threw herself into it. The husband of George Eliot, the British novelist (alias Mary Ann Evans), fell into it from a hotel window.

10.          The legendary Venetian lover Giacomo Casanova courted contessas and courtesans in his private love boat before winding up in “The Leads,” the attic prison in the Doge’s Palace, from where he dramatically escaped through a hole in the roof.