Boats of Venice

Public and Private Transport along the Grand Canal

Venice is a city born and built on the water and its inhabitants have always have carried out their everyday business on water. Venice developed in the early 7th century, with migration to existing fishing communities on the higher mudflats and sandbanks. One of the early settlements Rivo Alto, now know as Rialto, became the heart of Venice, linking together 118 separate islands with bridges and canals. The canals are an integral part of the "transit" system in Venice or in other words its roads.  Instead of automobiles, boats rule here.  You will find taxis, ambulances, police, postal delivery, freight delivery, moving companies and ferries among some of the vessels along Venice canals.   

Gondolas in Front of Ponte del Cavallo

Centuries ago, gondolas were the main means of transport in Venice with the first known reference to them in 1094. Now they are a tourist attraction, and one of the most recognisable symbols of Venice.  All gondolas are painted black and have been since 1562, when the Venice Senate passed a law that forced all gondolas to be painted in black to restrain the outlandish displays of wealth that had become associated with them. There are usually two types of gondolas, traditionally styled and Traghetti.  Traghetti are large gondolas that are used by locals and tourists to cross the Grand Canal at points that don't have bridges. 

Modern gondoliers belong to the thousand-year-old Gondolier’s Guild that limits the number of licenses to approximately 400 and all but a couple are male.  A gondolier candidate must find an experienced gondolier to act as mentor, attend four hundred hours of instruction, and later pass a rigorous examination testing physical endurance, navigational skills, knowledge of other languages and knowledge of Venice’s culture and sights.  As gondolas are a tourist activity, they are expensive. I prefer photographing them versus riding them.  However there is nothing more magical than seeing Venice from its canals and there are cost effective alternatives.

Gondola Trip along Grand Canal

The price of a water taxi in Venice is also expensive but to be honest after traveling for over 24 hours all I wanted to do was get to my hotel from the airport, drop my luggage and camera gear. So I willingly paid a premium to do that. The rates of the water taxis are fixed depending on the different companies, the distance and the number of people. 

The Venice water bus (Vaporetto) is part of the public transport system in Venice and is cheaper than a gondola ride. In reality this is probably the cheapest way to see Venice from the water with stops near most landmarks. Alilaguna’s water buses are a public transport system connecting Marco Polo Airport to the city centre.

Al'ilaguna Shuttle en-route to Airport

Deliveries Venetian Style

Distracted Driving

Moving Day Venetian Style

Postman at Work

Venetian Driveway

Highspeed Catamaran Service: Venice to Coastal Croatia
Looks to be arriving in Venice

Sea Cloud II Sailing Cruise Yacht

Coast Guard Vessel Heading into Venice 

Local Police Officer

Venetian Officer on Patrol

Ferry Eraclea at San Zaccaria Pietà; One of the Ferry Terminals in Venice.
 Santa Maria della Pietà (1745-60) is church in foreground. Chiesa di San Giorgio dei Greci (1539-73) with it's leaning bell tower (1582-92) is on the left
and Bell Tower of Chiesa di Sant'Antonin (rebuilt 18th century) is on the right.

The Venetian Pilot boat

Water Taxi Stand at Airport

The ornament on the front of the gondola is called a fèrro; it serves the double purpose of decoration and counterweight for the gondolier standing at the rear of the gondola. The “S” shape symbolizes twists of the Canal Grande. The six prongs are said to represent the six districts (sestrieri) of Venice. The tooth on the back symbolizes the island of Giudecca. The curved top represents the Doge’s cap. The semi-circular break between the curved top and the six teeth represent the Rialto Bridge. 

The Gondola's Fèrro

Day's Done or is it Waiting on the Evening Crowd

Busy at Work

Arrivederci Venezia

Other Blogs in my Venice Series.

https://sandrawhiteway.blogspot.com/2022/04/the-floating-city-city-of-canals-or.html

https://sandrawhiteway.blogspot.com/2022/04/the-lions-of-venice.html

https://sandrawhiteway.blogspot.com/2022/05/venices-reference-points-churches-and.html

Information of Gondolas

https://www.tripsavvy.com/gondola-rides-in-venice-1548042

https://www.vivovenetia.com/venice-gondola/

https://veneziaautentica.com/venice-gondola/