Madonna dell’Orto

Venice is comprised of more than one hundred islands with roughly 150 intersecting canals, connected by nearly 400 bridges. The waterways of Venice are as important as the streets. Internal rii (canals) usually have about 2 meters depth of water and a width of 4 to 5 meters. The long narrow streets that flank the length of canal are known as fondamenta. Bridges were originally flat and suitable for horse traffic, which was still in use until the 15th century. The Grand Canal and the Giudecca Canal are the largest waterways, followed by the Cannaregio Canal. The alleyway streets, known as calli are flanked by buildings on either side. Barbacani can stick out over the calli; extended rooms or enclosed balconies held up by wooden joists. Calli open into campi (campo, singular) which were originally open grassy spaces where animals were fed and penned. These are generally faced by a church. Location within the city is determined by campo or chiesa (church), not by street. A vere da pozzo, or wellhead, is also always present in the center of the campo; providing the area homes with water. Corti (courts) and campielli are smaller open spaces, less than the campi. Medium width streets with houses and shops are called ruga or rughetta. Rio terra is a filled in canal that has become a street, the first streets to be paved were called salizzade. Ramo is a small track of street connecting 2 bigger streets. Finally sottoportici are covered passageways or narrow passages open beneath private houses.