A Private Boat Tour Of The Venice Lagoon
An indulgent day trip to the islands
Sitting, and watching the activity on the Grand Canal is an enchanting way to spend a summer day. The boat traffic changes as the hours pass. Delivery boats and garbage boats own the early morning. Vaporetti swoosh by getting fuller and fuller as the day progresses. Water taxis loaded with tourists host photo shoots that are more about the occupants than the beautiful city, and gondoliers tell the same tale over and over throughout the day.
Boats and Venice are inextricably intertwined, all of its majesty derives from sea trade, but touring the canals only gives one aspect of the city of Venice. To understand it better you need to get out onto the lagoon, to see the other islands of this great old republic.
You could do this by taking the water buses, but we decided to treat ourselves to a private boat tour, advertised on Airbnb and hosted by Matteo.
Matteo picked us up from the quay at Zattare in the Dorsoduro district on the Giudecca canal. His beautiful large bow rider boat comfortably accommodated us and we shot off into the San Marco basin, water splashing up at us as we crossed the wake of a Alilaguna water bus.
It was thrilling to be racing along, leaving the crowded alleyways behind and rapidly…
