CANAL GRANDE BRIDGES TOUR - 14K(URBAN TRAIL!!!)
Challenge yourself to cross all the bridges on the Grand Canal in just one run! Test your muscles running up and down the Rialto bridge, sprinting through Saint Mark's square and racing with the gondoliers to reach the Accademia, the Calatrava and the Scalzi bridges.
Runner on the ground - ALESSANDRO
10 years of running
The Grand canal is the longest and deepest canal in Venice. Four monumental bridges go across it, and you are about to run on all of them!
We’ll start our tour in Saint Mark Square, running by the golden Basilica and the ancient Doge’s Palace. We’ll look for the golden angel on top of the Campanile and for your sign of the zodiac on the Clock Tower. Are your legs warmed-up now? Off we go! We’ll sprint through the two gigantic columns that make the gate of the city and we’ll run towards the most famous bridge ever: the Bridge of Sighs. Be warned though: this bridge is not as romantic as its name might suggest!
The tour will proceed along Riva degli Schiavoni to the Arsenale of Venice, the majestic shipyard of the Republic of Venice. You’ll see the two huge lions guarding it’s gate and the massive wall protecting the secrets of the Venetian fleet.
Our run will continue on to Cannaregio district, the most authentic part of Venice. We’ll be running through the winding calles and up and down little bridges between the houses of the Venetians.
We’ll jog in the campos of the Ghetto, through the synagogues of the Jewish district and the kosher restaurants and bakeries.
We’ll reach the northern extremity of the city at Baia del Re from which you get to see the 4 kilometre long bridge that connects Venice to the mainland. When the weather is fine you even get to see the Alps mountains from there!
Our run continues to our first bridge on the Grand Canal: the Scalzi Bridge. It’s named after the monks of a nearby church: scalzi means barefoot and that’s how these monks used to walk around, as a penitence.
It’s a massive stone bridge, ready to run to the other side?
You’ll have a couple of minutes to catch your breath before we reach our second bridge on the Grand Canal: the Bridge of the Constitution. It’s the only modern bridge on the Grand Canal, it was built only a couple of years ago to connect the train station to the bus station. It was designed by the starchitect Calatrava and it is absolutely spectacular; the bases are made of white Istrian stone, the railings are metal and the steps are made of glass! Aren’t you looking forward to running on its glass steps? Careful though, they might be slippery…
The tour continues to Strada Nuova: nuova means new and, as the name suggests, is a modern street that will allow us to speed it up a little bit to go and reach the most important bridge of Venice: the Rialto Bridge. It was quite a challenge to build something this massive more than four hundred years ago but it’s still perfect. From its top you can enjoy the best possible view on the Grand Canal: you’ll see the palazzi of the Venetian noble families, the gondolas sliding on the calm water and the seagulls gliding above you.
This bridge leads to the Rialto Market. We’ll go through the stalls where the Venetian buy their groceries. Colours and scents change continuously: artichokes, basil and fragrant peaches in the summer; pumpkin, radicchio and mushrooms in the fall… And then there’s the fish market: look at the seabass, the tuna, the crabs and the swordfish. They are all as fresh as they come.
The area surrounding the market still brings the names of the merchandise that used to be sold here : erbaria (herbs), naranzaria (oranges), and the precious spezie, the spices that the Venetian merchants brought back from the East.
We’ll continue to run down the alleys: we’ll go through Campo San Polo, one of the largest squares of the city, Campo Sant’Aponal, one of the smallest squares of the city, and Campo Santa Margherita, the most popular one. We’ll get to see the Ca’ Foscari, the university of Venice, the squero San Trovaso, one of the two gondola-yard left, and even the fireman department. Don’t you wonder how they move around in Venice?
All right, the time has come to do it: let’s go and cross our fourth and last bridge on the Grand Canal: the Accademia Bridge. It’s maybe the most beautiful bridge in Venice: it’s in wood, it was meant to be only temporary, but it’s such a beauty that the citizens decided to keep it as it was!
Prepare to have your mind blown by the view: the Peggy Guggenheim Collection, the Salute Church and the Punta della Dogana lay above you.
Congratulations: you have crossed all the bridges of the Grand Canal in just one run!
Jeffrey Smith –
Just saw this last minute and booked on. So glad I did. If you love running and sightseeing your love this.
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Allison Taylor –
I had an absolutely incredible run in Venice with Alessandro this morning. He was extremely knowledgeable, patient, fun and interesting to run with. His English was great and he told me all about the sights. Such a cool way to explore the city.
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Chet S –
Amazing run with Giorgia. Lots of fun talking about Venice as well as its events and culture. We ran around the whole island and it was fascinating to see all the side roads and shops. Great run. I ran with Go Running Tours in Rome, Florence and Venice. All 3 were great and this company is very diligent and creative with their routes. Looking forward to my next running tour for them.
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Dan –
Had a great run with Marco on a very hot morning. The best way to see all the sights of Venice with no crowds and without getting lost! I highly recommend the tour.
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Dirk Grube –
Perfect run in a beautiful city. Thank you once again, looking forward to seeing you next year!!
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Wendy Roose –
I had a run with Georgia yesterday. It’s a perfect way to discover the city with a beautiful sunrise and without all the crowds. Georgia gives you a lot of information about the city. Just do it👊
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Pauline –
I ran with Georgia. She was fun, very knowledgeable, and let me set the pace. We were out before the crowds and saw so much. Simply wonderful experience.
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Isabella Aprigliano –
Sightseeingtour trough Venice was an incredible experience, To run in such a wonderful City with an excellent guide as Giorgia was more than i could hope for. Thank you
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Jussi –
This was a perfect and unique way to explore Venice. Giorgia was excellent guide and I learned from her a lot about Venice. I really enjoyed the run and recommend it to other runners as well!
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Jordan Crouch –
Do this run, you won’t regret it. The guide was a Venice resident, so knowledgeable of the area, and a joy to run with. Fantastic experience.
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KatyMcC –
Running through the streets of Venice with Alessandro was a highlight of our trip to Venice. He took us over a challenging but fun 10-mile run over bridges and down streets we would have never found on our own. We learned about the city and its rich history from our cheerful, helpful guide. He also gave us great tips on other running spots and restaurant recommendations. If you’re a runner visiting Venice, you won’t want to miss this tour!
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