CANAL GRANDE

This water axis, which brings the sea into the heart of the city, was opened in the ^mid-18th century at the instigation of Maria Theresa of Austria. She had the salt marshes drained and the Borgo Teresiano developed. Along the canal quays, the most exotic goods were unloaded and stored in warehouses. Although it has now lost its port vocation, its architectural scenography makes it a sublime setting for a stroll or a drink on a terrace by the water. On a bridge, a life-size statue of Irish writer James Joyce.