The Waterway City
As we crossed the two-mile long bridge connecting the outskirts of Venice to the city center, I realized that this city’s infrastructure is very uncommon. After arriving on the mainland, we had to park our tour bus on a separate island due to the lack of roads and plethora of canals and bridges. Then, as our luggage was loaded onto a small cargo boat, we boarded a taxi boat that headed to our hotel. On our ten minute journey to the hotel, we saw rows of loading docks with constant boat arrivals and departures. Looking closely I noticed that workers were loading up cargo boats with everything ranging from refrigerators to fresh food such as fruits, vegetables, and meats. In addition, we saw vaporetto (ferry) stops that crowds of people piled onto. This was a completely different environment than I have ever been around before.
The Venetians depend entirely on water transportation to deliver imports and exports, get to and from work, and to even provide jobs. Since there is no place to grow their own food, they have to import their food to feed not only the approximately 50,000 Venetians who live on the islands, but also for the millions of tourists that visit each year. Alongside importing their food, they have to import electronics, home décor items, clothing, and more. But, there are also other boats on the water that are not typically seen. Since there are no cars at all on the mainland, emergency response teams such as the police and medics are able to get around on their own boats that have sirens and lights.
With all this transfer of goods, jobs as dock loaders seem to be plentiful and essential in order to keep the city stocked. Other water-based jobs consist of boat taxi drivers, fishermen, and gondoliers. Fortunately, we treated ourselves to a gondola ride along the back canals of the Grand Canal through peaceful neighborhoods. While our handsome gondolier rowed us along, we engaged in conversation with him, which allowed us to gain more insight into his occupation. He explained that he chose this job because his father had been a gondolier and it is what he grew up around. He decided to go through the training required in order to get his gondolier’s license and has been doing it for the past four years. He also mentioned that before becoming a gondolier, he had been working on the docks loading and unloading cargo, but preferred the past profession of his father.
becoming a gondolier, he had been working on the docks loading and unloading cargo, but preferred the past profession of his father.
After our gondola ride, I realized how significantly the infrastructure of Venice influences the daily lives of Venetians. From the process of having food on the table to the range of their occupations, Venetians rely heavily upon the water that surrounded them. But, the water has also been a trouble, especially with the erratic weather occurring lately. With flooding being inevitable, the Venetians have adapted to how they react to flooding. According to our gondolier, the water levels had risen at least one foot within the past week, which means that the locals have in the back of their minds the possibility of evacuating if it continues to rise consistently.
As we move from city to city, I realize how each varies from one another relative to the cities’ infrastructures. As we continue onto Florence, I am interested to see what differences there are between it and Milan and Venice. Until next time, ciao!
-Abby Taylor
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