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La Bella Vita Barge Cruise Photos

From: La Bella Vita Barge Cruise Review

Day 1: Venice (Departure from Marittima)

LA BELLA VITA sailing from Marittima

By 4 p.m., La Bella Vita was sailing from the Port of Venice's Marittima cruise basin.


San Basilio cruise terminal and river boat MICHELANGELO

As our barge turned left and headed up the Giudecca Canal, we saw CroisiEurope's Michelangelo (a French river vessel) coming toward us.


MICHELANGELO in Giudecca Canal

Michelangelo was about to turn and moor at Venice's San Basilio cruise terminal, which is used by small- to medium-sized ships.


San Basilio cruise terminal and Vaporetto dell'Arte

Two oceangoing ships were already tied up at San Basilio: Aegean Odyssey and Silver Cloud. (The boat in the foreground is a "hop on, hop off" sightseeing boat called the Vaporetto dell'Arte.)


Boats on Giudecca Canal

Continuing up the Giudecca Canal, we passed many smaller boats, including tour boats, vaporetti, and Alilaguna airport boats (such as the Alilaguna Linea Blu water bus in the foreground, which was on its way to Marittima.)


Sailboat on Giudecca Canal

Sailor on catamaran in Venice

On this catamaran, which was cruising up the canal under engine power, an intrepid sailor was adjusting the boat's rigging from the top of the mast.


Campanile di San Marco and Doge's Palace

A few minutes later, La Bella Vita entered St. Mark's Basin. In this photo, you can see the Campanile di San Marco, the Doge's Palace, and the domes of the Basilica di San Marco.


Riva in Venice

This fisheye photo shows the waterfront above the Piazza San Marco from La Bella Vita's sun deck.


Moored vaporetto near Sant'Elena

Before mooring for the night, Captain Rudy Toninato took us on a short sightsightseeing cruise past the remote Venetian neighborhood of Sant'Elena (above) and into the main passenger-ship channel between Venice and the Lido.


Port of Venice pilot boat station, Lido

La Bella Vita turned around after reaching the Pilot Boat station on the Lido, which dispatches pilots to arriving and departing cruise ships.


Riva di San Biagio, Venice

Soon, we were approaching our berth along the Riva di San Biagio. (At far left, you can see the Naval History Museum and--just to the right--the Hotel Bucintoro.)


Riva di San Biagio from LA BELLA VITA

A few minutes later, we were tied up along the Riva, only a short distance on foot from the Piazza San Marco.

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In this day-by-day photo diary:
Day 1 - Embarkation and Venice
Day 2 - Venice, Alberoni
Day 3 - Chioggia, Ca' Zen
Day 4 - Adria, Bagnoli Estate
Day 5 - Ferrara
Day 6 - Mantua
Day 7 - Disembarkation

Also see:
La Bella Vita cruise review (8 pages)
Satellite map of cruising region and high points
Venice for Visitors