GRAND CANAL, History

The Grand Canal is about four kilometers long. You can enjoy watching spectacular historic races on it, and it is crossed by such a large amount of boats that restrictions have been introduced to reduce the impact of the waves caused by engines. The Grand Canal divides the center of Venice into two parts, has the shape of a large capital "S", and has a width varying between 30 and 70 meters. It is crossed by three bridges: Scalzi, Rialto, and Accademia.

The succession of noble and ancient private buildings along the Grand Canal is unequaled in any other city in the world: in past centuries travelers noticed with amazement that Venice had many more palaces than any other capital. The parade of palaces along the Grand Canal reflects the splendor of the Venetian ruling class, which was made up of large, branched out families, often connected by complex wedlocks. The lack of a royal palace and court, which were replaced by republican institutions, didn't prevent the flourishing of aristocratic families that participated in the High Council and periodically had one of their family members reach the summit of power with a life-time assignment as Doge....