An ambulance in Venice is as different as you'd expect compared to anywhere else in the world
Published on Dec 06, 2025 at 12:08 PM (UTC-5)
by Henry Kelsall
Last updated on Dec 06, 2025 at 12:08 PM (UTC-5)
Edited by
Emma Matthews
Venice is already one of the world’s most incredible places, and if you ever need an ambulance there, then you won’t be going across the city by land if one is called.
Built on more than 100 small islands in a lagoon in the Adriatic Sea, Venice has no roads at all, and people instead get around via walkways or canals that run through the city.
Given the lack of roads, it will come as no surprise to learn that ambulances take to the water instead of any tarmac in Venice.
It certainly makes for an unusual sight, with emergency vehicles taking very different routes to where they need to be.
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An ambulance in Venice is an unusual sight
Footage posted onto X/Twitter has shown what an ambulance is like in the city.
A tourist boat runs through before an ambulance vessel roars around the corner.
Painted bright yellow, it has sirens just like you’d expect on a road-going ambulance.
But of course, with Venice having no roads, it has to get around via the water instead.
Amusingly, as on land, the traffic around it gets out of the way just as you would in a car.
The ship cuts through the traffic rapidly before whizzing around a corner and onwards to the emergency.
Residents meanwhile carry on walking on a bridge over the canal, with this a part of their everyday lives.
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A unique way of responding to emergencies
The ambulances in Venice might be the most unusual in the world.
Each one is specially designed for the city, and with no roads, they are an absolute necessity.
Given the challenges, Venice has evolved its emergency services over the years.
Many years ago, a gondola would have been used for the same purpose.
By the early 20th century, motorized ambulances would begin to take over.
But more important was how they were developed, to be custom-made for the city’s needs.
For most of us, seeing an ambulance is nothing particularly special.
Yet in Venice, it’s one of the most unusual sights you will ever see.
Henry joined the Supercar Blondie team in February 2025, and since then has covered a wide array of topics ranging from EVs, American barn finds, and the odd Cold War jet. He’s combined his passion for cars with his keen interest in motorsport and his side hustle as a volunteer steam locomotive fireman at a heritage steam railway.
