If you travel by hydrofoil, you’ll arrive at the pier of the Lower Park, from which you work your way up to the Great Palace. If you arrive by land, you’ll simply go through the process in reverse. Either way, the perspective always emphasizes the mightiness of water. Half encircled by the sea, filled with fountains and other water monuments, and with the Marine Canal running straight from the foot of the palace into the bay, Peter’s palace was also intended as a loving tribute to the role of water in the life, and strength, of his city.