Grand Canal and Doge's Palace in Venice

The city of Venice is a place that for the most part has remained unchanged since the 10th and 11th centuries. The most interesting characteristic of the city is how it is set up. What looks like a “city” is actually a series of close to 100 small islands that are linked by several bridges and crosswalks.

Flowing between these mini-islands are several canals that serve the purpose of their roads. These canals all flow into the Grand Canal, comparable to a major city highway. Since the city has no actual roads, this is their main form of transportation aside from walking.

If you are visiting Venice, it is almost certain that you will find yourself on the Grand Canal at some point. No road in the city means no cars; all of the traffic is right on the water. You will see all kinds of boats, from tour boats, delivery boats, police boats, and even gondolas, which offer a great experience going down the Grand Canal. Venice also has its public transportation in the form of boats, including “city buses” that have routine stops along the canals that you can freely hop on and off.

With so much traffic along this Grand Canal, along the canal are numerous shops, restaurants, and many other sites that you’ll want to visit on your trip to Venice.

Doge’s Palace is located in the St. Marks Square in Venice and represents the wealth and power of the city. This palace was built and used for political and judicial activities. It was the actual residence of the Duke of the city.

The palace’s architecture is a great example of Venetian Gothic style and was actually the most powerful real estate in all of Europe for over four centuries.

As the palace was used for judicial purposes, the famous Bridge of Sighs links the Doge’s Palace to the New Prison by which prisoners were transported directly after trial.

In 1923, the Doge’s Palace was converted into a museum, allowing visitors to tour the palace and it’s numerous rooms. Throughout the entire palace you will see it decorated with artwork and sculptures from some of the top artists that lived in Venice. Be sure to look up in each room, as there are magnificent murals in many of the rooms with unbelievable detail.

One of the most significant rooms in Doge’s Palace is the Hall of Great Council. In this massive hall, meetings were held, sometimes holding over 2500 Nobles at one time. This room also contains the world’s largest oil painting entitled “Paradise” by Tintoretto. The meaning behind the painting is to showcase that good decisions receive divine recognition, which is the overall purpose of the palace’s original use

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