Venezia (Venice)

View from the train station

The tour book describes Venice as “a romantic tourist city frozen in time.” I’ll go with that. Dating from about AD 421, Venice began as a collection of villages rising from the hundred or so islands in a swampy lagoon. After such humble origins by the 13th century, Venice rose to world prominence. By the 1500’s the Pope, the kings of France and Spain and the Holy Roman Emperor combined forces to curb Venice’s continued influence. By the 1790’s Venice had become synonymous with decadence, and its 1376 years of independence ended; the ruling chief magistrate, called the Doge, and the Maggior Consiglio (legislative council) resigned.

Basilica di San Marco

 From architecture to the treasures in museums, evidence of Venice’s profound history and its influence on the world exist today. A few things are not to be missed. For example the Palazzo Ducale (the Doge’s Palace) and Basilica di San Marco are stunning examples of the riches once enjoyed by Venice as a result of military and political domination for almost 1000 years. One gets the impression that Venice just took what it wanted—the relic of St. Mark taken from Alexandria, Egypt and the Quadriga, four beautiful bronze horses that once proudly stood above the entrance of the Basilica are but two examples. (Replicas have since replaced the originals, which are kept safely in the museum.)

The Grand Canal

The streets of Venice (if you can call them as such—no land vehicles, period) are a virtual maze. Without first-hand knowledge or a readable map, as every well-intentioned tourist can attest, it is easy and wildly frustrating to wander about knowing right where you and right where you want to go BUT having absolutely no idea how to marry the two.

No mention of Venice is complete without a word regarding the ubiquitous gondolas and the gondoliers, as both symbolize the romantic heritage of this, one of the most unique places on earth. One can safely discount the local legend that gondoliers are born with webbed feet so they can walk on the water, but there is no doubt regarding their singular knowledge of the labyrinth of waterways in Venice. As it remains a strictly male-dominated preserve, such knowledge and the art of handling the nearly 36 ft. gondolas are passed from father to son.

Boatyard

While wandering about on our third day in Venice we had the fortunate experience to find one of the three remaining boatyards, which supply nearly continuous maintenance to the 400+ gondolas. With the same design dating back nearly 1000 years, modern gondolas pay homage to their heritage. They are always black as the tar-covered originals were, and on the front of each the ferro symbolizes the Doge’s cap and six teeth beneath represent the six sestieri (districts) of Venice. Costing approximately $15,000, gondolas are handcrafted from nine different woods: beech, cherry, elm, fir, larch, lime, mahogany, oak, and walnut. Strict regulations exist for gondoliers. Easily recognized by their red-and-white or blue-and-white striped shirts (personal preference), the matching boater hat (optional) and dark pants, gondoliers have dressed this way for as long as anyone knows.

Close-up of the ferro

The tour book mentioned something else: anyone acting as gondolier without official sanction need not worry about municipal punishment…the real gondoliers take care of that!

Venice's tour guide: the gondolier