The people who keep Venice Moving

Behind the Vaporetto: the Commanders Who Keep Venice Moving

Venice is a city that moves on water.

Every day, thousands of people step onto a vaporetto to cross the Grand Canal, reach an island, go to work, get to school, return home, or simply move from one part of the city to another. For many visitors, taking a vaporetto is one of the most memorable experiences of their stay: the view, the water, the palazzi, the feeling of travelling through a city unlike any other.

But behind every journey there is a profession, a responsibility, and a world that most passengers rarely stop to think about.

In this episode of Venice Talks, I speak with Lorenzo Boscolo, President of the Associazione Capitani Navigazione Lagunare, and Agostino Benvegnù, Vice President of the association, to explore the role of the commanders of Venice’s public water transport system.

Together, we look at what it really means to navigate Venice every day, not as a postcard, but as a working city.

A city where the road is water

In most cities, public transport means buses, trams, trains, or underground lines. In Venice, things are different. Here, the public transport system moves through canals and across the lagoon. The “road” is not asphalt. It is water.

And water changes constantly.

There are tides, currents, wind, fog, rain, high water, night shifts, heavy traffic, crowded landing stages, and the unpredictable rhythm of a city where residents, commuters, students, workers, delivery boats, taxis, private boats, emergency services, and tourists all share the same fragile space.

For this reason, commanding a public transport vessel in Venice requires much more than simply knowing how to steer a boat. It means understanding the lagoon, reading the movement of the water, knowing the city’s navigation routes, managing passengers, respecting safety rules, and making constant decisions in real time.

A vaporetto journey may look simple from the outside. But from the commander’s cabin, it is a careful balance of skill, experience, attention, and responsibility.

Captain or commander?

One of the first questions we discuss in the episode is the difference between a captain and a commander.

In everyday language, many people use these words almost as synonyms. We often say “the captain of the boat” without thinking too much about the technical meaning. But in the world of navigation, words matter.

The role of a commander is not only about steering. It is about responsibility. A commander is in charge of the vessel, the crew, the passengers, and the safe completion of the journey. In a city like Venice, where navigation takes place in close quarters and often under complex conditions, that responsibility becomes even more significant.

Lorenzo Boscolo and Agostino Benvegnù help us understand what lies behind the title, the training, and the daily reality of this profession.

The skills you do not see

When we board a vaporetto, we usually notice the practical things: the timetable, the stop, the crowd, the view, the seat we hope to find. What we do not always see is the amount of knowledge required to make that journey possible.

A commander must know how to manoeuvre the vessel, of course. But that is only the beginning.

They must be able to read the water, understand the effect of wind and tide, approach landing stages safely, manage difficult visibility, navigate in crowded areas, respect regulations, coordinate with colleagues, and remain calm even when passengers are impatient, distracted, or unaware of the complexity of the situation.

There are areas of Venice and the lagoon that are particularly delicate to navigate. Some places are narrow, busy, exposed, or affected by currents and wave motion. Others require extra attention because of the density of traffic or the fragility of the urban environment.

This is a profession built on training, discipline, and experience. It is also a profession built on instinct, the kind of instinct that comes only after years spent on the water.

Public transport, not just a scenic ride

For visitors, the vaporetto can feel like a floating viewpoint. And yes, there is no denying the beauty of seeing Venice from the water. Few forms of public transport in the world offer such a view.

But the vaporetto is not a sightseeing attraction.

It is an essential public service.

It is how many Venetians go to work. It is how students get to school. It is how residents reach hospitals, offices, shops, homes, and islands. It is how the city continues to function every day, in every season.

This is one of the most important points of the conversation. Venice is visited by millions of people, but it is also lived in by people who depend on its public transport system. Remembering this changes the way we behave as passengers.

When visitors block exits, stand in the wrong places, crowd boarding areas, ignore instructions, travel with oversized luggage in a careless way, or treat the vaporetto only as a panoramic ride, they make the service harder for everyone.

Respecting the vaporetto means respecting the city.

Keeping Venice moving 24 hours a day

Another fascinating part of the conversation is the rhythm of the service.

Venice does not simply move during the day. It has to keep moving at night, in the rain, in the fog, during acqua alta, during major events, during periods of intense tourism, and in all those moments when the city seems to ask more than usual from those who work on the water.

Guaranteeing a public service 24 hours a day in Venice is not a small thing.

At night, the city changes completely. The crowds thin out, the noise drops, and the lagoon takes on another atmosphere. But the responsibility remains. People still need to move. Workers finish late shifts. Residents return home. Emergencies may happen. The transport system must continue.

Navigating Venice at night is a different experience, both practical and emotional. The city becomes quieter, but not necessarily easier. Visibility changes. The relationship with space changes. The water, the lights, the silence, the movements of the vessel all take on a different weight.

For those of us who usually see Venice from the outside, this offers a rare glimpse into the hidden machinery of the city.

The beauty and difficulty of the job

Every profession has the part people see and the part they do not.

For the commanders of Venice’s public water transport, the visible part may be the vessel arriving at a stop, the doors opening, passengers boarding, the journey continuing. It all seems fluid, almost automatic.

The invisible part is the constant attention.

It is the pressure of responsibility. It is the physical and mental effort of long shifts. It is the need to stay focused in all weather conditions. It is the challenge of managing crowded moments without losing control of the situation. It is the awareness that even a small mistake can have serious consequences.

But there is also beauty.

There is the privilege of seeing Venice from the water every day. There is the deep knowledge of the lagoon. There is the pride of doing a job that is essential to the life of the city. There is the bond between profession, place, and community.

To command a vessel in Venice is not just to work in Venice. It is to participate in the daily movement of the city itself.

Wave motion: more than “just a few waves”

One of the central themes of the episode is moto ondoso, wave motion.

For those who do not live in Venice, it may seem like a minor issue. A few waves, a bit of movement, part of life on the water. But in Venice, wave motion is a serious problem.

It affects safety. It affects boats. It affects landing stages. It affects the banks, the foundations, and the fragile structure of the city. It affects the experience of navigation and the daily work of those who operate public transport vessels.

Wave motion is not only about comfort. It is about the relationship between movement and fragility.

Venice is not a normal city with normal streets. It is a city built in water, on delicate balances, where the impact of traffic is felt not on asphalt, but on stone, wood, brick, mud, and centuries of history.

Talking about wave motion means talking about speed, respect, regulation, awareness, and the future of the lagoon.

Overtourism on board

Overtourism is often discussed in relation to streets, squares, museums, restaurants, and accommodation. But in Venice, overtourism also enters the public transport system.

It enters the vaporetti.

During peak periods, the pressure on the service becomes enormous. Landing stages fill up. Boats become crowded. Residents struggle to move through their own city. Commanders and crews must manage a mix of daily users and visitors who may not understand the rules, the rhythm, or the purpose of the service.

This is where behaviour matters.

Small actions can make a big difference: letting people get off before boarding, moving inside the vessel, not blocking entrances and exits, keeping luggage under control, listening to instructions, respecting crew members, and remembering that other passengers may be trying to get to work, school, or home.

Venice asks visitors to be present, but also aware.

The vaporetto is a beautiful way to experience the city, yes. But it is also a shared space, and shared spaces require respect.

A profession for the future

The episode also looks at the future of this profession.

Are young people interested in becoming commanders? How can this career be explained to new generations? What does it mean to train people for a job that combines tradition and technology, practical skill and responsibility, local knowledge and public service?

In a city like Venice, professions connected to the water are not secondary. They are central to the survival and identity of the city.

The figure of the commander belongs to a long tradition, but it also has to face the challenges of the future: sustainability, safety, new technologies, changing tourism, environmental pressures, and the need to protect the lagoon while keeping the city alive and accessible.

To talk about commanders is also to talk about what kind of Venice we want in the future.

Seeing Venice differently

This conversation invites us to look at Venice from another point of view.

Not from the bridge.

Not from the postcard.

Not from the perfect Instagram angle.

But from the cabin of those who move through the city every day, carrying people safely across its waters.

The next time you step onto a vaporetto, perhaps you will notice more. The precision of an arrival. The difficulty of an approach. The movement of the tide. The patience required at a crowded stop. The responsibility of the person at the command.

Venice is not only a city to admire.

It is a city that has to function.

And every day, through rain, fog, waves, crowds, dawns, nights, and tides, someone is there keeping it moving.

Key Notes

In this episode of Venice Talks, we talk about:

• The role of the Associazione Capitani Navigazione Lagunare in Venice today
• The difference between a captain and a commander
• The training and path required to become a commander in Venice’s public water transport system
• The skills needed to command a vessel in the lagoon
• The most delicate areas of Venice and the lagoon from a navigation point of view
• Why Venice’s public transport system is unique in the world
• The responsibility of moving passengers through a city where the road is water
• The beauty and hidden difficulty of life as a commander
• The importance of remembering that the vaporetto is a public service for residents, workers and students
• What it means to guarantee public transport 24 hours a day
• The experience of navigating Venice at night
• Why wave motion is such a serious issue for the city
• The impact of overtourism on Venice’s public transport system
• The behaviours that tourists should avoid, and the ones that would help
• The future of the profession and how to communicate it to younger generations

Listen to the episode

This episode is for anyone who has ever taken a vaporetto and wondered what happens behind that journey.

It is for those who love Venice, but also want to understand it better.

It is for visitors, residents, students, workers, and anyone interested in the fragile balance between beauty, daily life, tourism, and public service in one of the most extraordinary cities in the world.

Listen to the full episode of Venice Talks with Lorenzo Boscolo and Agostino Benvegnù, and discover the people who help keep Venice moving.

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Because Venice is not only a place to visit.

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