Public transport in Venice: the Vaporetto

Public transport in Venice only works by water and travel through the city’s waterways. The fleet of vessels is part of the ACTV that manages the public transport of the city both on land and in the lagoon.

The Vaporetto

It is called this way because when the first was launched in 1881, it mounted a steam engine. Initially, just to make room for the engine room, the central dashboard was raised, but today, with the diesel engine, have a large cabin aft of the bridge, intended for passengers, as well as some outdoor seating in the bow (accommodation, the latter, which is absent in the most modern means) and sometimes even aft.

It has the sides and the cream-colored roof and usually carries the numbers of lines 1 and 2 that run along the Grand Canal and the Giudecca Canal

 

The vaporetto or the small one.

There is another type of vaporetto, called by the Venetian motorboat or the small one, because it has a smaller tonnage than the previous one. It is black and white, it is used in the circular lines, the “Giracittà” as the line 42 or 52, which allow you to make, with some variations, the tour of Venice. These boats are lower than the classic ones to allow them to pass below the Ponte delle Guglie or the Ponte dei Tre Archi during the sustained tides. If this is not possible, they also pass through the Grand Canal only, waiting for the height of the tide to return to normal.

 

The motorboat.

It is the largest public transport that deals with connecting Venice to the major islands of the northern lagoon, the Lido and the connection between Pellestrina and Chioggia. They are able to transport up to 1,000-1,200 maximum. Usually they always leave from the Riva degli Schiavoni or from the Fondamente Nuove.

The crew of the vaporetto is composed of a captain and a sailor. The commander must drive the vaporetto respecting the speed limits but also the scheduled times and is responsible for the boat. The sailor is responsible for making mooring maneuvers on the piers and opening the barcarizzo (vaporetto opening gate) to let people go down and up.