Thanks to its canals, Venice is known to be one of the most magical place on earth. The city is a testament to the ingenuity of the human spirit and invention. Stone buildings of great beauty sit on the water; boats of varying sizes traverse the canals the way cars, trucks, and buses crowd the streets of more conventional cities; crowds throng the bridges and narrow pedestrian streets.
If one wants to understand the history of Venice, the best starting point is to understand the canals themselves, and how their construction and history reflects and explains the city itself.
Although there are plenty of famous landmarks to feast your eyes on in Venice, its canals are rightfully considered to be one of the world's top attractions. The city counts more than 150 waterways which are also traversed by over 400 bridges.
The Grand Canal
The Grand Canal (“Canalasso”) stretches around 2 miles (3 kilometers) through the city in a giant “S” curve from the Santa Lucia train station to the Piazza San Marco and the stunning church of Santa Maria de Salute, at which point it is over 350 feet wide...