“Venice, its temples and palaces did seem like fabrics of enchantment piled to heaven.” ― Percy Bysshe Shelley
Venice
is the northeast capital of the Veneto region
in Italy, the city is known
as Venetia or Venezia. Venetia
is an Italian name which is popular all over the world. It means the woman from
Venice; the
name is a symbol of success. Venice
is known for the monuments, bridges, the canals, art, literature, and
architecture. The lagoon and part of the city are an element of the World
Heritage Centre and now UNESCO contemplates on declaring it an Endangered World Heritage
Center due to its deteriorating
state. Venezia had a population of people who were refugees from the Roman
civilization like those of Padua, Treviso and other nearby
places. Venice
was a center for commerce and an International
Financial Center
in the middle ages and Renaissance making it a wealthy province. (Venice is built on an
archipelago of 118 islands formed by 177 canals in a shallow lagoon, connected
by 409 bridges. The buildings of Venice
are constructed on closely spaced wooden piles. Most of these piles are still
intact after centuries of submersion.
The piles penetrate a softer layer of sand and mud until they reach a
much harder layer of compressed clay.... Wiki)
After spending a
day at
Verona that flung my memories to the
lesson ‘Two Gentlemen of Verona’ written by AJ Cronin, we were ready to visit
Venice. Our guide told us
that if we missed being
at the port by 9.30 in the morning we would not get the
cruise to reach the port of Venice via the canal named Giudecca Canal that
morning and that we would have to visit it in the evening. I kept asking if the
island was
Venice,
what the place where we stood called. The guide uttered ‘the mainland of
Venice’ and ushered us
into a large boat. There are six regions of
Venice. The crowd was overwhelming, but the
boats did not overload people. We had sufficient space to move on the deck or
sit in our places. I saw the youngsters run to the upper deck near the window
spaces where they put their legs out through the windows to sit on the seats
inside while enjoying the view. They did not howl, hoot or make a single bit of
sound, but were in deep contemplation as they looked at the island of wonders;
their beaming countenance expressed their happiness. The tourists seemed to be
from all over the world, they were of all ages too. I saw the elderly along
with their dear ones in the wheelchairs, some of them all alone, signifying their zest to travel to places. We were welcomed on the shore by two beautiful tall
ladies dressed traditionally in red and blue. They reminded us of the Roman
attire, the frilly frocks and beautiful veil left us
mesmerised on the sunny
day. The island also replicated the plot and the settings of the plays written by Shakespeare;
specifically it was the Merchant of Venice. Our guide had a tough time
elucidating about the spot, owing to the crowd. The place was filled with
tourists. This was the first enormous crowd we had encountered in Europe There
were large groups all over the place with many people making the mob resemble a
mini Mumbai; the only exception was that it was a quiet mob, which was eager to
know more about the place.
At one of the
squares, we saw the booking space of the Gondola center. It was a large space
protected by bars which opened as a wide doorway on the island. The place also led to a Gondola dock. There
were many men dressed as executives, reminding us of the Police, owing to the way
they spoke and behaved. There were chairs in the office, but people
preferred sitting away from the doorway on the footpath. Many of the tourists were found sitting on
the stairs leading to the Gondola Pier. The Gondola ride was a thirty-minute
ride around the Grand Canal, below the
Bridge of Sighs
and many more places at 80 Euros for a group of six. We bought the tickets and
a sporty Gondola oarsman dressed in a striped shirt showed us our way to a tiny
hanging bridge. He then led us on a small length of the stone bridge that rose
in water to ultimately step in gently into the well-decorated boat known as a
Gondola. He assessed our height and weight and then asked us to take our place.
There was no choice as the balance was to be maintained. When I stood up, to
click a photograph of him, the boat swayed like a pendulum making the Gondola
owner shout at me, saying “no movement madam, sit still”. As the Gondola began
moving, we saw the river, the bridges, the canal, the transport through water
and the architecture of the place wondering was this the city of the Adriatic on the rivers
Po and Piave. The ride depicted that it was a water route used by
people for transport and trade. The Gondolas ferried under the
Bridge of Sighs (Ponte Dei Sospiri) where the Gondola
Oarsman began singing an Italian romantic song. In the modern era, people
believe that a Gondola ride under the
Bridge of Sighs
seals the love of couples to remain loyal eternally. The
Bridge of Sighs
encloses a prison built of limestone and stone walls. People say that in the
olden days the convicts sighed on the
Bridge of Sighs
owing to their last walk as free men.
We had the whole
day to explore after having crossed four bridges and four squares. The island
had squares after every bridge, the public squares named Piazza opened in the
lagoon at one of the ends. At the Western end, we saw the San Marco Piazza also
known as the St Mark’s Square, which nestled the St’ Mark’s church with
beautiful Roman architecture, and many arcades leading to the lagoon at one
end. Every Piazza had marble architecture of lions, winged lions or horses, indicating the power and pride of
Venice.
These places have also been social, religious and political centers in
Venice. It was a walking tour; the place was filled with
eateries, monuments, music, and people. There were school teachers who had
brought their students on an educational tour. There were college students who
had also come along with their teachers. The zeal and sincerity were very
similar to Indian students. We even saw an elderly couple get married at the St
Marks Basilica. They walked down the aisle with the bridesmaids and many others
who made the day memorable for the couple.
The four
bridges are unique in their architecture displaying the culture of the place,
the oldest being the
Bridge
of Sighs or Ponte
Di
Rialto. The most recently built one with modern architecture is Ponte
Di
Calatrava, the third bridge near academic galleries is called the Ponte
Dell’Accademia and the last one is Ponte
Degli Scalzi which is also known as The Bridge of the Barefoot’. The square
Piazza San Marco is the most popular square in the world with its sights,
architecture, and shops. The Clocktower was huge with unique architecture, it helped us mark the place and identify spots like the Doge’s Palace and
many more shopping arenas
We visited the restaurants that sold authentic
pizzas and the best coffee. The Grand Canal is S-shaped and
divides the city in two parts with the striking architecture facing
the sea. The scenic monuments are further beautified by the presence of the
Gondola Piers and the tethered Gondolas in the sea. The row of palaces on each
side look like mirror images. There are three regions marked on each side with
72 Parishes. The scorching sun also held our enthusiasm through a group of
musicians who played violin relentlessly in their traditional dress. The place
spoke about art, architecture, culture and above all a welcoming society.
Venice is like eating an
entire box of chocolate liqueurs in one go.” ― Truman Capote
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