Grand Canal
The Grand Canal is a canal in Venice forming one of the major water-traffic corridors in the city. Public transport is provided by water buses and private water taxis, and many tourists explore the canal by gondola. Most of the buildings on the banks of the canal date from the 13th to the 18th century, and demonstrate fortunes spent by the noble Venetian families to show off their richness. Most of the traffic in the city goes along the canal, rather than across it, therefore the city has only four bridges, one of which is the controversial Ponte della Costituzione designed by Santiago Calatrava, connecting the train station to Piazzale Roma, one of the few places in Venice where ground transportation can enter. Most of the palaces emerge from water without pavement. Consequently, one can only tour past the fronts of the buildings on the grand canal by boat.