A working city, just like any other

When you stand on the summit of the Accademia bridge, taking in that iconic view down the Grand Canal towards the Basilica della Salute and the Dogana del Mar, it's easy to forget that you're not simply standing in a beautiful tableaux, but standing in a working city.

Look down below: those people on the vaporetti...some of them might actually be locals, simply trying to do their daily shopping, collect their children or get to work, despite the thronging of tourists and day-trippers all around them.  Look at those little vessels racing underneath you...perhaps there is a police boat, or a fire boat, on its way to an emergency.

And look at this boat, prosaically ferrying television sets and wicker chairs under the watchful eager gaze of this tourist.

Moving goods on the Grand Canal