S. Worthen | Weblog

Let me confuse those of you who have been to Venice. The causeway crosses over from Mestre to the Campo della Zirada. There, the buses come and go all day, the local ones and the long distance ones. From there, you can go park your car on the Tronchetto and go on to see the city by foot or by boat.

Sounds familiar? Well, no, it shouldn't. The "Campo della Zirada" never ended up being called that. It was the local proposal for the place's name, but higher-up levels of fascist government overruled the local proposal, and so it is, to this day, known as Piazzale Roma.

More of you will know that Venice is getting a fourth bridge over the Grand Canal, designed by Santiago Calatrava. It will connect the railway station with Campo della Zirada Piazzale Roma, at a turning in the Grand Canal known as the "zirada", Venetian for "girata", or "turning". The bridge is currently under construction and due to open this coming spring. (Live updates via webcam)

This past weekend's news there was that the Calatrava bridge now has a name, the Ponte della Zirada. The Mayor added a proposal to change Piazzale Roma's name to that originally proposed for the campo. If it happens, it will be very Venetian, and very confusing.

(Thanks to geesepalace for the news.)