Hear gondola, think Venice.Venice is world famous for its gondolas. Today however, they are mostly used by tourists. Or for ceremonies -- funerals, weddings. Local Venetians prefer to travel by modern ferries along Venice's major canals and between the city's islands. Faster, more convenient.
Venice rests on an archipelago consisting of over 110 islands with 150 canals. All in a shallow lagoon. The islands on which the city is built are connected by hundreds of bridges. In Venice’s centrum, canals serve as roads. One’s choice is to walk via bridge or transit by gondola. Venice is Europe's largest car free urban area. Nice.Brace yourself for the bad news. Venice has no sewage treatment facilities. Untreated waste is immediately dumped into Venice’s canals. I witnessed first hand. Literally, flush. Floaties, from individual buildings. Romantic. But the tide comes and goes. More flushing, whisking stuff away into coastal waters and points beyond.
I'm walking, thanks. Still worth a visit though. Caution.
