What is a well-known city on the world that is slowly sinking into the sea and is, in fact, surrounded by its own lagoon? Right, well, it’s no big secret – it’s Venice - and it’s been sinking for a very long time. You have to wonder why anyone would have considered building a city on a bunch (126!) of small islands, all connected by canals, linked by 472 bridges… but then why would anyone build a city – Phoenix – in the middle of a desert…but I digress.
By sheer necessity, the city became a powerhouse of finance and trade, with a large fleet of merchant ships and a navy to protect them, establishing colonies up and down the Dalmatian coasts and down to Cyprus. After all, they had to get their ‘daily bread’ from somewhere with coins from elsewhere. Venice was an independent city state for several centuries until their power waned and Napoleon put an end to their independence.
As we walked, we came upon these wells in little piazza…fresh water in the middle of a salty lagoon??, I guess it worked, although now they are padlocked.
But around the late 13th century, Venice was by far, the most prosperous and wealthy city in Europe. At its peak, over 30,000 sailors manned 3300 merchant and naval ships, dominating commerce and the seas (until the Ottomans came calling). Its wealthy families vied with each other to build the grandest palazzos. Like in Renaissance Florence, artists of all sorts were imported and supported. Antonio Vivaldi, a contemporary of Bach was born here, spent most of his time here and created a wealth of Baroque music, including the well-known Four Seasons, the Stabat Mater and, would you believe it, fifty!! five-o operas. Did you know that he was an ordained Catholic Priest – the Red Priest, because of his hair? There is a 2009 film about him: Vivaldi, the Red Priest…but I digress.
So right, there is a lot of ‘stuff’ to see in Venice, like any European city, and you really need a week to do it justice… I’ll give our take on the ‘usual’ sights, but there is the other remarkable ‘stuff’ that few visit because they are not on the average 1-2 day visitor’s list. More later.
Today, glories in the past, the city lives on tourism with a population of only 51,000 on the central islands, but with 30 million visitors annually. Of course, it is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Saint Mark’s Square is dominated at its east end by the amazing Saint Mark’s Basilica. Though to reach it, from the train-bus station (unless you are wealthy and staying on the islands), you are pretty much obliged to enter the throng of tourists and pick-pockets headed to the Square. Never bring your wallet, only some cash for the day – trust me on this. Duck and weave through the crowd going in both directions. Along the way, something cute will catch your eye – off the main road - turn a few corners, and all of a sudden… you’re lost. Congratulations! You are lost in Venice…can it get better than to get lost in Venice and find outstanding Gothic, Baroque and Renaissance ‘stuff’ everywhere – this is how you find little gems like the Scuola Grande di San Marco.
Ah, to be alive and wandering aimlessly through Venice.
If you get lost long enough, you’ll need some sustenance, perhaps you are on the way back already, tired and hungry, and you come upon one of those bácaros (wine bars – they are everywhere) that feature cicchetti – that oh-so-Venetian equivalent of tapas. Most bácaros are not much more than holes-in-the-wall with a couple of tables, maybe. This is Venetian finger food. Point to what you want behind the counter – choose some pickled veggies, or onions with salty anchovies, or small crostini with whatever-the-chef-decided-to-put-on-top-today or grilled seafood…
Around good bácaros, crowds always spill out on the street - it’s as much a social scene as anything, but the food, and the ‘ombra’ (wine) has to be good. So there, forget pizza, you’ve experienced the quintessentially Venetian cuisine. Our choice was Osteria Ae Forcoe, which we found by getting lost. But…I digress.
The two long sides of the square are essentially government offices but with shops and restaurants under the loggias. On the right side is Caffè Quadri, patronized by the hated Austrians, when the Habsburgs ruled Venice. On the opposite side of the square is Caffè Florian, très chic, patronized by the Venetians and where my daughter and family had breakfast in Venice some time back.
But of course, the focus of attention is that architectural marvel: St. Mark’s. Not at all like the later Renaissance churches with their spires, the inspiration for St. Mark’s was the Church of the Holy Apostles in Constantinople, speaking of which, Venice was much involved in the Fourth Crusade which was supposed to ‘liberate’ Jerusalem, but instead attacked and sacked Constantinople, (duh) during which its churches were looted of much treasure, rare marbles, semi-precious stones and the famous four bronze horses, all of which were carted back to Venice to adorn St. Mark’s. Napoleon stole them again and brought them to Paris in the late 18th century – they were returned a few years later. You can see the originals which are now housed inside and replicas are on the outside. The origin of the horses is in debate but most likely they were cast in the 4-5th century BC – the style is very Greek. Amazing that they survived 2500 years.
The most extraordinary feature of the church from the outside are the several domes, and from the inside, the lavish use of mosaics. Almost all of the upper half is covered in glittering mosaics so brilliantly highlighted by the windows set into the domes of the basilica – nothing the like we had seen before. The amount of effort in planning the scale and then the implementation – no wonder it took years to finish - and then was constantly under repair as mosaics tend to fall or artistic styles change over the centuries.
A truly remarkable looted piece is the Pala d’Oro, a Byzantine altar piece covered in gold and studded with 2000 gems.
Taking the elevator to the top of the Campanile (bell tower) requires that you book your spot well in advance as only 30 people are allowed at a time, the view from the top is nice especially seeing the other nearby islands like Murano.
Over on the right of St. Mark’s is a little extension of the square called Piazzetta di San Marco. This hosts the Gothic Doge’s Palace, built in 1340 and now a museum (if museums are your thing, there are eleven in Venice). Touring the palace is one of the must-do things in Venice.
At the end of the little square are the two pillars facing St. Mark’s basin, surmounted on one by the Venetian winged lion and the other by St. Todaro (who??), and to their right and left, long broad promenades, the Riva Degli Schiavoni, along the basin canal, where the vaporetti and gondolas tie up. As you pass the Ponte della Paglia, look left to see the Bridge of Sighs.
Now, the Palace was (is) connected to Venice’s courthouse, and that was connected to the prison right behind it across a little canal. There is one bridge from the courthouse/interrogation/torture chambers to the prison, the (in)famous enclosed Bridge of Sighs, said to be thus named by the prisoners passing over the bridge, sighing while getting a last view of the outside world through its windows before being taken down to the cells.
There is a perfect replica passing over a road between buildings in Oxford, UK, and a similar one in Cambridge, passing over a canal.
Take a vaporetto, the water buses that run along the Grand Canal from the railway station to St. Mark’s, hopping back and forth between the opposite banks. Hmm, do I watch the boats playing dodge’m on the canal, the people on the boats, the palaces as we pass, the famous Rialto Bridge, the Peggy Guggenheim Museum, the gondolas – or all of the above. You have to pass the Rialto sooner or later either on the way to St. Mark’s or to the Rialto Market on the other side. Originally a wooden span, which collapsed twice, before being rebuilt in stone, its demise was predicted soon after it was completed in 1591 – still standing. Watching the action on the canal, from the Rialto Bridge is mesmerizing.
Talking of gondolas, OK, a gondola ride would be a really nice thing to enjoy, it being a once-in-a-lifetime thing, but the prices are truly exorbitant. If you must do it, haggle the price and the length beforehand. But, I digress.
Anywhere we go, we always check out the local market, because we stay, mostly, in apartments, where cooking is possible, so visiting the Marcati di Rialto in the San Polo area of Venice near the Bridge was a natural. The covered market is a treat for the senses. Half of the market is devoted to fresh fish, and the other half is for everything else, and if you want souvenirs and bric-a-brac, the stalls are right outside. Worth a look and a taste.
Residents and restaurants source their fresh fish and vegetables from here. As the fish market is right on the Grand Canal, fishermen straight from the sea bring their catch here to be sold. If you’re lucky mid-afternoon you can be a witness. You can even get cicchetti here.
Enough of this ‘ordinary’ stuff, you’ll want to see the bones of the dragon slain by St. Donatus. They are to be found in the church of Santa Maria e San Donato. There are four three-foot-long rib bones behind the altar hanging from wires. They are thought to be from a large Pleistocene mammal – oh well... no dragon.
At the foot of the Rialto Bridge is a luxury shopping mall. The TF Fondaco Terrace is one of the best free things to do in Venice. Sitting on top of the 800 year old Fondaco Dei Tedeschi building is a rooftop terrace that has grand views of the Grand Canal and the Rialto Bridge. Hey, it’s free!! Not much is free in Venice.
For something out of the usual, visit the small out-of-the-way Palazzo Contarini del Bovolo, if only for the outside spiral staircase.
Now, for something totally out of the ordinary, but so worth it… not easy to find… is the Scuole Grande di San Rocco.
There were originally six Scuoli Grandes in Venice. Think of them as confraternities – associations of lay people united for a common purpose, always attached to the Church. Think, the Lions Club, Rotary Club or the Shriners in our day. Some scuoli supported hospitals, some functioned as soup kitchens, or acted to support the indigent, orphans… the first attempts at welfare.
The School buildings are a treasure trove of art in painting, sculpture and woodwork. The wealthiest of the confraternities of Venice, at one time, before Napoleon stole most of it, the Scuole possessed ‘silverware’ equivalent to one ton and several kilos of gold. Many beautiful pieces, art really, have been preserved and are on display…but the pieces de resistances are the Tintoretto and Titian paintings, chief among them The Crucifixion, which covers an entire wall, 37 feet by 18 feet, the details of which are stunning.
All three rooms are stuffed with paintings, walls, ceilings, the grand staircase, overwhelming the senses. Crane your neck to look at the painting-covered ceiling or use one of the handy hand-held mirrors.
You could visit the flooded crypt of the church of San Zaccaria, or visit a floating bookshop, or the island of Saint Lazarus of the Armenians which houses 4000 Armenian manuscripts and an old printing press, or the cemetery island of San Michele, the final resting place of Igor Stravinsky, Ezra Pound and Sergej Diaghilev, among others, or maybe catch the glass blowing at Murano. For such a small Island, Murano boasts no less than 32 bácaros serving cicchetti – you won’t go hungry.
So, what’s the perfect way to end a day in Venice? Why, have some mussels and pasta on the canal off the beaten path in the Cannaregio district with a nice side of Valpolicella.
Thank you Venice. See you later.
