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The Grand Canal (Canal Grande) is the main artery through the UNESCO World Heritage city of Venice, Italy. It’s 3.8 kilometers long and makes a reverse “S” shape through all six districts of the city. The canal has an average depth of five meters and 30 to 90 meters wide.
There are over 170 buildings on the Grand Canal dating between the 13th and 18th centuries. Some of them are palaces built by the richest Venetian families to show off their wealth while others are churches, museums, or hotels. Many can only be seen from the canal.
This entry will talk about some of the buildings I was able to spot while walking along the canal or cruising through on a vaporetto. I know I missed a lot of the buildings, so the only ones included are the ones I was able to actually see and photograph.
Northern End
Starting from north and moving south is Constitution Bridge (Ponte della Costituzione), which is one of only four bridges spanning the canal. There are some nice views from there and from the front of the Santa Lucia Railway Station.
San Simeone Piccolo Church
Directly across from the railway station is San Simeone Piccolo Church (Chiesa di San Simeone Piccolo), which was built between 1718 and 1738 in the district (sestiere) of Santa Croce. The architect was Giovanni Antonio Scalfarotto who modeled it on the Pantheon in Rome. For many visitors to the city, it’s the very first landmark they see.
First Curve
After the first curve in the “S”, there are more nice views of the canal. It’s also interesting to look down the smaller canals branching off the Grand Canal.
Venice Casino
One of the important buildings coming around the curve is the Venice Casino (Casinò di Venezia), which was founded in 1638. It’s recognized as the oldest gaming house in the world. It moved into the Ca’ Vendramin Calergi, located in the Cannaregio district, in the 1950s.
Ca’ Vendramin Calergi was built between 1481 and 1509 by architect Mauro Codussi for Andrea Loredan. It changed hands several times and was most notably the final home of German composer Richard Wagner. A museum dedicated to Wagner opened in the building on February 13, 1995.
Church of San Stae
The next ferry terminal past the casino is at the small Church of San Stae (Chiesa di San Stae) in the Santa Croce district. It’s officially called the Church of Sant’Eustachio (Chiesa di Sant’Eustachio) but nobody calls it that. The church was founded in the 11th century and rebuilt in 1708. Admission is €3.50 (as of August 2023) or free for holders of the Chorus Pass.
Ca’ Pesaro
Just past San Stae is Ca’ Pesaro, an international modern art gallery. Construction on the building started in the mid-16th century by architect Baldassare Longhena and was completed in 1710 by Gian Antonio Gaspari. Admission is €10 (as of August 2023) or free for holders of the Museum Pass. It’s open daily except Mondays.
Ca’ d’Oro
After visiting the Rialto Market in San Polo, we spotted the Ca’ d’Oro across the canal. Officially named the Palazzo Santa Sofia, it’s one of the older palaces on the canal. It was built between 1428 and 1430 for the Contarini family. The building has housed the Giorgio Franchetti Gallery (Galleria Giorgio Franchetti alla Ca’ d’Oro) since 1927. It’s open daily except Mondays and costs €6 (as of August 2023) as the building is being restored.
Rialto Bridge
The Rialto Bridge (Ponte di Rialto), which is roughly the halfway point of the canal and on the second curve of the “S”, has a couple interesting buildings nearby as well as some terrific scenery.
Palazzo Dolfin Manin and Palazzo Bembo
Just past the bridge on the San Marco side between the Rialto “A” and Rialto “C” vaporetto stops are the Palazzo Dolfin Manin and Palazzo Bembo. Palazzo Dolfin Manin was built starting in 1536 for the noble Dolfin (Delfini) family and was the home of the last Doge of Venice, Ludovico Manin. The Venice headquarters of the Bank of Italy (Banca d’Italia) are located in the building.
Palazzo Bembo was built in the 15th century for the noble Bembo family. It was the birthplace of Italian scholar Pietro Bembo (1470-1547). It currently hosts a hotel and art exhibition.
On the Vaporetto
It was just outside those two palaces where we did our first vaporetto ride through the Grand Canal. We passed some scenic buildings on both the San Marco and San Polo sides, but I wasn’t able to find any relevant information on them.
Palazzo Balbi
At the third curve in the “S”, I spotted the Palazzo Balbi, located in the Dorsoduro district. Construction started in 1582 by architect Alessandro Vittoria for the Balbi family. It’s now property of the government of the Veneto region.
Ca’ Foscari and Palazzo Giustinian
The next buildings past Palazzo Balbi are Ca’ Foscari and the Palazzo Giustinian. Ca’ Foscari was built in 1453 for Doge Francesco Foscari and is now the home of Università Ca’ Foscari Venezia. A Byzantine palace one stood on the site.
Palazzo Giustinian was built in the late 15th century and was the final home of Princess Louise Marie Thérèse d’Artois of France. She died in the palace on February 1, 1864. The building is actually made up of two separate sectors – Ca’ Giustinian dei Vescovi, which now houses part of Ca’ Foscari University (Università Ca’ Foscari), and Ca’ Giustinian delle Zogie, which is privately owned.
Ca’ Rezzonico
Just a bit further down the canal is Ca’ Rezzonico, which houses a museum of 18th century art established in 1936. The building was built between 1667 and 1752 by architect Baldassare Longhena and contains work by Giambattista Tiepolo and Francesco Guardi. Admission is €10 (as of August 2023) or free for holders of the Museum Pass. It’s open daily except Tuesdays.
Palazzo Stern
Near the Ca’ Rezzonico vaporetto stop is the Hotel Palazzo Stern. The building is actually a 15th century Moorish style palace built by the Malpaga family.
Palazzo Loredan dell’Ambasciatore
Two buildings further down is the Palazzo Loredan dell’Ambasciatore. This historic palace was the birthplace of two Doges and the site of a Mozart concert. It was built in the 15th century for the Loredan family and now houses private luxury apartments for temporary use.
Palazzo Cavalli-Franchetti
Finally, the last part of the Grand Canal I visited was at Accademia. I noticed a beautiful yellow building called the Palazzo Cavalli-Franchetti. It was built starting in 1565 and has been owned by the Habsburgs and the Rothschilds. Since 1999, it has been the seat of the Veneto Institute of Science, Letters and Arts (Istituto Veneto di Scienze, Lettere ed Arti).
Southern End
From Accademia to Piazza San Marco, there are more historic buildings, but the only one I actually visited or saw for myself was the Basilica of Santa Maria della Salute.
