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TraghettoGondola Ferries on the Grand Canal
ABOVE: A traghetto ferries passengers across the Grand Canal. INSET BELOW: A Venetian mother and her daughter (wearing inline skates) wait to board. Until 1854, the Ponte di Rialto was the only bridge across the Grand Canal in Venice. Even now, there are only three bridges along the canal's 2˝-mile (3.5 km) length. If you need to cross the canal and you aren't near a bridge, you have two choices:
Most traghetti have been operated by the same families for generations. As recently as the 1950s, there were some 30 of these gondola ferry routes; today, there are seven:
The routes are clearly marked on any good street map of Venice (look for straight lines across the Grand Canal), and you'll often see yellow signs pointing toward the traghetto landings when you're walking through neighborhoods along the Grand Canal. Next page: How to ride a traghetto
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