We will be staying one night in Venice on our way to the Croatian coast to my husband’s conference in Dubrovnik. My husband and I spent a vacation just the two of us several years ago and this time we would like for our son to experience it.
We will start our adventure here by taking a vaporetto, which is Venice’s public transportation system, from the train station to the S. Zaccaria stop. We will be using vaporetto one, the slower one, so we can see the city as we go. The number 2 would get us there in a hurry and we want to see the sights along the way.
I will have my trusty map to point out historic sights for my son, who will hopefully be listening. Here is the guide of what to see along a Grand Canal boat ride.
Ponte della Constituzione (Constitution Bridge)
We will not be starting from the last major landmark, which is this modern glass and Istrian marble bridge. This would be your last stop if you took the vaporetto all the way to the end. It has remained controversial for its ultra-modern appearance, but it is handy in crossing the Grand Canal.
Address:Ponte della Costituzione, 30135 Venezia VE, Italy
Santa Maria di Nazareth
Next to the train station this Baroque church was built in the mid-17th century and designed by Baldassarre Longhena. The first chapel to the right has a statue of St John of the Cross attributed to Falconi. The statues of Faith, Hope, and Charity are by Tommaso Rues. The third chapel on the left has a statue of St Sebastian (1669) with bronze bas-reliefs also attributed to Falconi. The beautiful original frescoes in the church were damaged by an Austrian bombardment in 1915 and Ettore Tito restored them in the 1930s.
Address:Cannaregio, 54, 30121 Venezia VE, Italy
Ponte Degli Scalzi Bridge
This stone bridge was completed in 1934 and spans the Grand Canal from Santa Croce to Cannaregio. This is usually the first bridge visitors see if they are coming from the nearby Santa Lucia train station.
Address: Ponte degli Scalzi, 30135 Venezia VE, Italy
Fondamenta Turchi and the Natural History Museum
The original building and the integrity of the design and facade have remained intact. The original palace was built in the early 13th century for Giuseppe Palmieri; it is typical for a Veneto-Byzantine style home. There are spacious arcades on the ground floor, two towers and crenellation, and the facade faced in marble. It now serves as the Natural History Museum.
Address:Salizada del Fontego dei Turchi, 1730, 30135 Venezia VE, Italy
Casinò di Venezia
This majestic palace is home to the Venice Casino at Wagner Museum. It was built by Andrea Loredan and designed by the great architect Mauro Codussi, at the end of 1400s. Here the great German composer Richard Wagner died in 1883. An inscription on the ground floor says “Non Nobis Domine” (“Not unto us, O Lord”).
Address: Cannaregio, 2040, 30121 Venezia VE, Italy
Church of San Stae
The lavish external façade faces the Grand Canal, and was
designed by Domenico Rossi in 1709, characterized by its rich decoration thanks
to the contribution from sculptors such as Giuseppe Torretto, Antonio Tarsia,
Pietro Baratta, and Antonio Corradini.
Giovanni Grassi’s late 17th-century interior reveals a clear influence from
Palladio. The single nave is flanked on each side by three open chapels; in the
center of the church the flooring is occupied by a large tombstone that marks
the burial place of the Mocenigo family. The church has its own stop.
Address:Salizada San Stae, 1982, 30135 Venezia VE, Italy
Ca’ Pesaro
A Baroque marble palace designed by Baldassarre Longhena in the mid-17th century. It now houses the International Gallery of Modern Art that includes a collection of nineteenth and twentieth century paintings and sculpture.
Address: Santa Croce, 2076, 30135 Venezia VE, Italy
Ca’ d’Oro
An ancient patrician palace that dates back to the 15th century, Giovanni and Bartolomeo Bon built this building from 1442 requested by the procurator of St. Mark (San Marco) Marino Contarini. This beautiful building in Venice is a good example of the change from the Gothic to the Renaissance style. It now houses a museum with a beautiful art collection belonging to Baron Giorgio Franchetti. It has its own stop.
Address: Fondamenta Trapolin, 3932, 30121 Venezia VE, Italy
Fish Market
Venice’s oldest market, and has endured through the ages. Catch it before it is gone, since with the influx of tourism it is used less and less by the locals. Try Venice’s famous “cichetti” or a small snack with a glass of wine from a nearby “osterie.” The nearest stop is the Rialto.
Address: Calle de la Pescaria, 30122 Venezia VE, Italy
Fondaco dei Tedeschi (German Commodity Exchange)
First constructed in 1228, and located at the foot of the Rialto Bridge across from the fish market, the Fondaco dei Tedeschi is one of Venice’s largest and most recognizable buildings. It was used as a trading post for German merchants, a customs house under Napoleon, and a post office under Mussolini. It looks like it is used partially for a duty-free shop and you can visit the terrace on top for views of the city.
Address: Rialto Bridge, Ramo del Fontego dei Tedeschi, 30100 Venezia VE, Italy
Ponte di Rialto (Rialto Bridge)
It is a huge stone arch bridge crossing over a narrow part of the Grand Canal. It was built in the 16th century and is renowned for its architectural and engineering achievement in the Renaissance era. It connects the areas or sestieri of San Marco and San Polo. The bridge was designed by Antonio da Ponte. 6,000 timber piles on each side support it. It is a good stop to explore the San Polo neighborhood.
Address: Sestiere San Polo, 30125 Venezia VE, Italy
Ca’ Foscari
Once the home of Francesco Foscari, a doge of Venice, who had the palace redone in 1452, and then dying only five days after moving in, it is now home to the Ca’Foscari University administrative center. It has four floors and is done in the late Gothic style.
Address: Dorsoduro, 3246, 30123 Venezia VE, Italy
Traghetto Ferry Stop
You will next see a Traghetto stop. You can use these to go back and forth between the sides of the river for €2, much cheaper than a gondola rider and more practical. There are six other of these along the Grand Canal.
Address: Campo San Samuele, 30123 Venezia VE, Italy
Ca’Rezzonico and the Museum of 18th Century Venice
This palace is an example of Venetian baroque and rococo architecture. Two famous architects, Baldassare Longhena and Giorgio Massari, constructed this 40-room palace. It is now a museum dedicated to 18th century Venice (Museo del Settecento Veneziano}. You can see examples of Venetian pottery, costumes, an 18th century pharmacy and even a theater in the museum.
Address: Dorsoduro, 3136, 30123 Venezia VE, Italy
Palazzo Grassi
This palace is three stories and has Baroque and Classical features. It was the last palace built in 1797 before the Venetian Republic collapsed. It was designed by Giorgio Massari and built between 1748 and 1772. The palace was where Francis Pinault, the current owner, son, Francois-Henri met actress Salma Hayek and they renewed their marriage vows here. It now serves as an art museum for Pinault’s personal art pieces.
Address: Campo San Samuele, 3231, 30124 Venezia VE, Italy
Ponte dell’Accademia and the Academy of Fine Arts
For many centuries the Rialto Bridge was the only one that crossed the river until the Austrians built this bridge in 1854. It is made of iron and is popular for crossing the river. On the Dorsoduro side the Academy of Fine arts can be visited. It is housed in a former 16th century Monastery of Santa Maria della Carita. There is also a canal stop here.
Address: 30100 Venice, Metropolitan City of Venice, Italy
Palazzo Corner della Ca’Grande
This huge palace is an example of High Renaissance architecture. The architect was Jacopo Sansovino and it includes Ionic columns on the first floor and Corinthian columns on the second floor.
Address: San Marco, 3978, 30124 Venezia VE, Italy
Peggy Guggenheim Collection
This building is the sit of the Peggy Guggenheim’s art museum, which includes cubist, abstract, and surrealist paintings and sculpture. Artwork by Pablo Picasso, Salvador Dali, Rene Magritte, Marc Chagall and Jackson Pollock can be seen. Look for Marino Marini’s equestrian statue Angel of the City on the terrace. You can reach this museum by using the Santa Marie della Salute or the Academia vaporetto stops.
Address: Dorsoduro, 701-704, 30123 Venezia VE, Italy
Santa Maria Della Salute
Address: Dorsoduro, 1, 30123 Venezia VE, Italy
As you head to the main square you will see the monumental Baroque church of Santa Maria della Salute completed in 1630. To support the weight a million timbers were driven into the floor of the lagoon on order of architect Baldassare Longhena. A vaporetto stop is right in front of the church. This is our stop for the hotel and this is where our Grand Canal journey ends.
