Know your streets and canals by Tijavi
To a first time visitor, Venetian street and canal names could be confusing. Here's a short guide on the local system of naming streets and canals:Corte - as the name suggests, it's a small courtyard as compared to the much larger campo
Salizada - the local equivalent for an avenue, it is a wide, main street (yes, street, not canal).
Fondamenta - my first encounter with this word was one of utter ignorance. Now, I know refers to a street that runs along a canal.
Riva - the larger, wider version of a fondamenta.
Sotoportego - it's a covered passageway.
Rio Terra - my favorite, this represents man's (or more appropriately, the Venetians') triumph over nature - a filled-in canal more often as a public square (or more like an environmental issue?)
Ruga - not a dog's name (sounds like one!), but rather refers to a shop-lined street.
To add to the confusion, some streets and canals have more than one name!
