Grand Canal in Venice
The Grand Canal not only connects most of Venice's top tourist attractions, it is one of its top
attractions. Curving in a reverse S through the heart of the city, it is also Venice's Main Street, always
busy with traffic that includes everything from gondolas to barges carrying produce to market. In
Venice's heyday, anyone of note - or who wanted to be of note - had to have a palace facing the
Grand Canal, and their palazzi represent every style of architecture, from the 12th to the early 18th
century. The best way to see and appreciate all these grand palaces is by taking a vaporetto, (a
water taxi) from San Marco to Porta Roma.
Santa Maria della Salute
As your vaporetto leaves the San Marco stop, it heads across the mouth of the Grand Canal, aiming
almost directly at the monumental Baroque church of Santa Maria della Salute, built as thanks for
the end of the plague of 1630. In order to support its immense weight, architect Baldassare
Longhena had to have more than a million timbers driven into the floor of the lagoon. The church is
an impressive landmark, visible across the Grand Canal from San Marco, and this grandeur
continues as you step inside with your attention immediately drawn to its massive dome. Be sure to
see the Sacristy, where the best paintings are, especially Tintoretto's Marriage at Cana.
Peggy Guggenheim Collection
Just past Santa Maria della Salute is the low white Ca' Venier dei Leoni, a contemporary building
on earlier foundations. The 1749 Vernier palace was never completed, and in 1949, its single floor
became the site of American art collector Peggy Guggenheim's Venice museum of cubist, abstract,
and surrealist paintings and sculpture. The collection includes works by Max Ernst, to whom Peggy
Guggenheim was married, as well as Pablo Picasso, Georges Braque, Fernand Lger, Joan Miro,
Salvador Dali, Paul Klee, Rene Magritte, Piet Mondrian, Marc Chagall, and Jackson Pollock. As
your vaporetto passes, you may catch sight of Marino Marini's equestrian statue Angel of the City on
the terrace. Address: Palazzo Venier dei Leoni, 701 Dorsoduro, Venice
Palazzo Corner della Ca' Grande
Directly opposite the Guggenheim, Palazzo Corner della Ca' Grande is one of the finest examples
of High Renaissance architecture in Venice. This huge palace - its name "Ca' Grande" means big
house in the Venetian dialect -- was built in 1545 by Italian master-builder and sculptor Jacopo
Sansovino, for the powerful Cornaro family. Like all these palazzo, Ca' Grande was meant to
impress, with stately Ionic columns on the first floor and Corinthian columns on the second.
Ponte dell'Accademia and the Academy of Fine Arts
For centuries, Ponte di Rialto was the only bridge over the Grand Canal, until in 1854, the
Austrians who had occupied Venice since 1815 erected a small iron bridge connecting San Marco
to Dorsoduro. It was replaced by a "temporary" wooden bridge in 1932, but proved so popular with
Venetians that it was never replaced by a stone one as intended. At its Dorsoduro end is Venice's
finest collection of art, the Accademia, in the former 16th-century Monastery of Santa Maria della
Carit. Address: Dorsoduro, Venice
Palazzo Grassi
On the opposite bank, the three-storied Palazzo Grassi's facade shows both Baroque and Classical
features. The last palace built on the Grand Canal before the Venetian Republic's collapse in 1797,
it was constructed from plans by Giorgio Massari that used a ground plan unusual in Venice, with
four wings around a rectangular courtyard. When the Fiat Motor Company acquired the palace,
extensive restorations and renovations included covering the courtyard, which - along with the rest
of the palace, is used for exhibitions. The building is interesting for its harmonious blend of the
original Neoclassical and modern architectural styles.
Ca' Rezzonico and the Museum of 18th-Century Venice
On the left, as the canal begins its long curve to the right, the massive Ca' Rezzonico is the work
of two famous architects. Begun in 1660 by Baldassare Longhena, the greatest Baroque architect
in Venice, it was completed nearly a century later by Giorgio Massari. Today, it houses the
Museum of 18th-Century Venice, where you can get a fascinating glimpse of Venetian life in the
Rococo period. Its 40 rooms show the sumptuous decorative styles and furniture, which includes
the Chinoiserie and lacquered furniture, so popular at that time. There are Venetian porcelain and
pottery, bronzes, puppets, and original 18th-century Venetian costumes. An 18th-century
pharmacy has been meticulously reconstructed, and a theater is on the third floor.
Ca' Foscari
When Doge Francesco Foscari ordered its building in the 15th century, Ca' Foscari, just past Ca'
Rezzonico, had an unheard-of innovation: it had four floors. Today, the palace remains one of the
most important Late Gothic buildings in Venice. The Foscari's fortunes reversed after the Doge
was forced to surrender the Eastern Mediterranean to the Turks in 1454, and his son Jacopo was
banished from Venice. In 1574, King Henry III of France used the palace as a residence.
Ponte di Rialto (Rialto Bridge)
As the Grand Canal begins to straighten again, the familiar form of Rialto Bridge comes into view
ahead, although it's hard to take your eyes off the palaces that continue to line either side. The first
wooden bridge was built here as early as 1180, later replaced by a drawbridge, which collapsed in
1444 when a large crowd gathered on it to watch a boat procession. Almost 150 years later, in
1588, the Venetians built this stone bridge, designed by Antonio de Ponte. The 22-meter bridge is
supported by 6,000 timber piles under each side.
Fondaco dei Tedeschi (German Commodity Exchange)
From at least 1228 the "German" merchants (a term that also included Poles, Czechs, and
Hungarians) who did business in Venice lived and worked in this prime location at the San Marco
end of Rialto Bridge. The fact that Venice paid for rebuilding it after a fire, and employed the likes
of Titian to decorate its interior, shows how advantageous their business was to the Republic -- a
high commission had to be paid to Venice for every purchase and sale. This is why in the 16th and
17th centuries, the Fondaco was called "the golden ark of the Senate." The exchange was both a
place of business and a refuge for the merchants, who were not permitted to appear alone or to
conduct any business outside the Fondaco. The faade you'll see on the right, facing the Canal
Grande, is in the Venetian tradition of three stories. In the middle is a five-arched Portico. The shops
and storage were on the ground floor, while the upper floors were living quarters and offices.
Fish Market
Dating only from 1907, the market hall, on the left past Rialto Bridge, was built in Gothic style,
with delightful carved capitals supporting its arches. Stone fish and other sea creatures look down
on the morning hubbub as chefs and housewives vie for fresh-caught seafood. Although it's a
comparatively modern building, it was constructed according to the centuries-old method on more
than 18,000 larchwood piles.
Ca' d'Oro
On the right bank, one of the most beautiful sights on the canal, Ca' d'Oro, is Venetian Gothic at its
most perfect. Although it has lost its original rich paint and gilding that gave rise to its name - House
of Gold -- the marble filigree work of Bartolomeo Bon, who also built the Porta della Carta in the
Doge's palace, is perhaps even more beautiful without it. The interior, now a museum, illustrates
vividly how Venetian nobles lived in the late Middle Ages. The mosaic on the ground floor copies
one in St. Mark's Basilica, and there is a beautiful red marble well in the courtyard. Art works of the
Galleria Franchetti art collection complement the historical setting of the palace. Along with
Titian's Venus before the Mirror, Portrait of a Nobleman by van Dyck, and Mantegna's unfinished St.
Sebastian, you'll see marble sculptures, bronzes, and terracottas by Bernini, Giambologna, Tullio
Lombardo, Ricci, and others, as well as fragments of the frescoes by Giorgione and Titian that once
adorned the faade of the Fondaco dei Tedeschi.
Ca' Pesaro
Farther along, on the left, Ca' Pesaro was built between 1652 and 1710 by the masters of Venetian
Late Baroque, Baldassare Longhena and Antonio Gaspari. The splendid faade was inspired by
Sansovino's Library in the Piazzetta. The lavishly designed interior may seem an unusual home for
the Galleria d'Arte Moderna, one of the most important collections of modern art in Italy. But the
palace makes an interesting contrast to works by Franz von Lenbach, Auguste Rodin, and Marc
Chagall. On the third floor, the Museo d'Arte Orientale has an equally outstanding collection of Far
Eastern art featuring Chinese vases, Japanese paintings, and Indian sculpture.
Location: Santa Croce, Venice
San Stae
The official name of the church at the left landing stage of San Stae is Sant'Eustachio, but hardly
anyone calls it that. It was built in 1678 by Giovanni Grassi, in the shape of a Greek cross, and its
facade on the Grand Canal was added thirty years later by master-builder Domenico Rossi. It was
paid for by Doge Alvise Mocenigo II who is buried in the church. Also inside are paintings by early
18th-century artists, including Tiepolo and Pellegrini.
Palazzo Vendramin-Calergi
This palace on the right, shortly past San Stae, is such a perfect example of Venetian Renaissance
architecture that many other Venetian palaces were modeled after it, and in the revival era towards
the end of the 19th century, many of its elements were copied throughoutEurope. It was built
between 1480 and 1504 by Mauro Codussi. The German opera composer Richard Wagner died
here in 1883.
Fondamenta Turchi and the Natural History Museum
This oddly restored building almost opposite Palazzo Vendramin-Calergi was originally a palace
dating from the ninth century and one of the oldest in Venice. Its present form dates to the mid13th century. In the 14th and 15th centuries, before it became the offices and living quarters of
Turkish merchants, it was the residence of the Dukes of Ferrara, who hosted Emperor Friedrich III
here as their guest in 1452 and 1469. By the early 19th century, it was totally in ruins, so the city
took it over and attempted to rebuild it in its original 13th-century style. Whatever the results, it is
still considered a good example of the Byzantine-Venetian mixture of styles common in the Middle
Ages. It houses the Natural History Museum, where you can learn about the animal life in the
Adriatic and see geological and zoological collections. The ground floor also has an excellent
exhibition of Venetian well-heads.
Santa Maria di Nazareth
The fine Baroque church on the right, next to the Santa Lucia rail station, was built in the 1670s by
Baldassare Longhena and its facade added by Giuseppe Sardi. In the second chapel on the right
is Tiepolo's fresco The Glory of St. Teresa, and the third chapel on the left contains his
fresco Christ praying in the garden of Gethsemane. The smallest of the Grand Canal's bridges
crosses in front of the church.
Ponte della Costituzione (Constitution Bridge)
Not all Venetians agree on Spanish architect Santiago Calatrava's bridge, built in 2007. But they
do agree that it's handy to have a bridge at the end of the Grand Canal, where the vaporetto line
concludes at the bus station and parking garage. The design makes no pretense of mirroring
traditional Venetian styles, reflecting the earlier bridges only in its graceful sweeping curve. The
steel and concrete structure is faced in a combination of Istrian marble and glass, and like
Calatrava's work elsewhere, it has become an attraction of its own.
Tips: How to Make the Most of Your Tour of the Grand Canal
Vaporetto lines: Be sure to take Line 1, not the express Line 2, which moves too
quickly past the palaces and skips several stops.
Tickets: The ride along the Grand Canal is the most expensive in Venice, but it's
included in any of the day or longer transit passes. Whether you buy a pass or a single
ticket, be sure to validate it at the machine as you board.
Timing: You'll find crowds on the vaporetto at almost any hour, but it's best to avoid
morning and evening commuting hours, as well as the lunch rush between noon and
2pm.
At night: Although you won't be able to see all the palaces, many are fully lit at night, a
magical sight with their facades bathed in spotlights and Murano glass chandeliers
gleaming from the large windows.
Best views: To see the palaces on both sides of the canal, try to get a spot to stand
outside, where you can move more easily from one side to the other.
Direction: While this tour lists the attractions beginning from San Marco, you can ride it
in either direction. To get the best views of all, ride in both directions and see one side
at a time.
Byk Kanal Venedikte su trafiinin akt ana hattr. Kanal S eklindedir, 3800 metre uzunluunda ve yaklak 5
metre derinliindedir. Saint Mark Basin Santa Lucia tren istasyonu arasndaki bu su hattnn genilii ise ortalama
90 metredir.
Venedikte ulam salarken mutlaka geeceiniz Byk Kanaln etrafnda 13. 18. yzyllar arasnda ina edilen 170
kadar yap bulunmaktadr. Genellikle zengin ailelere ait olan bu yaplar muhteem Venedik manzarasna sahiptir.
Kanal su hatt stnde gondol, deniz otobs, zel bot, su taksisi gibi ulam aralar ile seyahat edilmektedir.
Byk Kanal zerinde Ponte Delgi Scalzi, Rialto ve Ponte dellAccademia tarihi kprleri yer almaktadr. Calatrava
Kprs ise sonradan eklenen bir yapdr. Kanal etrafndaki evler yapld dnem ve yaay tarzlarnn etkilerini
gstermektedir. 10. yzylda ulam ve gvenliin kolay olmas nedeniyle kanal etrafndaki evler genelde tccarlar
tarafndan kullanlmaktayd. 12. 13. yzyllarda bu yaplarn mimarisinde Bizans etkileri grlmeye baland. 15.
yzyl ile gotik etkileri ba gstermeye balad ve gotik tarzn en nemli eseri Altn Ev olarak bilinen Ca dOrodur.
16. ve 17. yzyllar barok etkilerinin hakim olduu bir dnemdir. Santa Maria di Nazareth Kilisesi ve Santa Maria della
Salute Bazilikas barok tarzda bu dnemde yaplan eserlerdendir. 18. yzyldan sonra bina yapm bitmi, daha ok
yenileme almalarna arlk verilmitir.
Venedikin grkemli gemiinin izleri her yl Kanal etrafnda dzenlenen gsteriler ile canl tutulmaktadr. Bu
organizasyonlardan en nemlisi Eyll aynda dzenlenen Regata Storicadr ve Byk Kanal boyunca krek yarlar
yaplr.
Byk Kanalda Grlebilecek Yerler
Byk Kanalda Santa Lucia Palazzo Flangini arasnda Santa Maria di Nazareth Kilisesi, Santa Lucia Tren stasyonu,
La Direzione Compartimentale demiryollar ynetim binas, Palazzo Calbo Crotta Oteli, Palazzo Fiangini, Palazzo
Gritti, San Simeone Piccolo Kilisesi grlebilir.
San Geremia San Stae arasnda ise Palazzo Labia, Palazzo Giovanelli, Palazzo Dona Balbi, Fondaco dei Turchi Doa
ve Tarih Mzesi, Palazzo Belloni yaplar dikkat eker.
Palazzo Barbarigo Pazar Yerlerinde Palazzo Barbarigo, Palazzo Gussoni Grimani, Palazzo Fontana Rezzonico,
Palazzo Sagredo, Ca DOro, CaFoscarini, CaCorner della Regina grlebilir.
Byk Kanalda Rialto ve evresinde ise Palazzo Papadoli, dinlenebileceiniz Riva del Vin, CaCorner Martinengo
Rava Oteli, Riva del Ferro rhtm, Casetta Dandolo grlebilecek yerlerdendir.
Regata Storica krek yarlarnn biti noktas olan La Volta del Canal blgesinde Palazzo Marcello, Palazzo Balbi,
Palazzo Civran, Palazzo Garzoni, Venedik niversitesine ait CaFoscari, air Robert Browningin bir dnemler olu ile
yaad CaRezzonico ziyaret edilebilecek noktalardandr.
Accademiadan sonra balayan CaRezzonico Guggenheim aras blgede Palazzo del Duca, CaGrande, Dk Marin
Failerin evi Palazzo Failer, kanaln en kk evlerinden Casetta della Rose, eski bir manastr ve kilise olan Accademia,
Palazzo Dario bulunur.
La Salute ve San Marco arasnda grlebilecek yerler arasnda dnyann ilk Harry bar Harrys Bar, Dkler Saray
Dogana, Santa Maria della Salute, Punta della Dogana heykeli, Palazzo Salviati, Palazzo Gritti Pisani vardr.
