This is perhaps the biggest travel cliché imaginable, but I absolutely adored Venice. The scenery was incredibly beautiful, the food amazing, and the locals very warm and welcoming. And although we went in late June, at the height of tourist season, we had no problems escaping the crowds that seemed to gravitate towards Piazza San Marco and its nearby stores and restaurants. It was a welcome change from the hellish atmosphere of Rome.
While most people think of gondolas as the most prevalent form of transportation in Venice, the canals are, in fact, traversed by a variety of less glamorous – but equally fascinating – boats. Cars are not allowed in Venice, so everything, from delivering mail to hauling construction equipment, must be done by boat. Here are a few of the boats that get the job done.
The ACTV waterbus: Venetian mass transit. Sure beats the hell out of the DC metro.
Delivering restaurant supplies
Garbage collection.
Mail delivery
The UPS boat. Unfortunately, I did not get a photo of the FedEx boat.
Cops. They should make a show like “CHiPs”, but based in Venice.
Ambulance
Construction crew. This boat is the Venetian equivalent of an F-350 Super Duty Crew Cab.
Once the products are offloaded, they are delivered to their destination via handtrucks. I do not envy this guy’s job.
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From Ann:
Awesome! While I knew about the whole no-cars thing, I never really thought about the different type of boats and their equivalents.
From EJ:
Couldn’t agree more on Venice. It was one of my favorites. Have never laid eyes on any more beautiful city.
That handtruck reminds me of Bill Bryson’s chapter on Southern Italy in Neither Here Nor There, when he declares that the job he least wants in the whole world is “washing machine deliveryman in Capri.”