3896 Venice - The Queen of the Adriatic

Venice is enchanted - it cannot be real. It is like wandering around a film set. Yet you know that it is indeed a real place and quite unique with people going about their daily business, mostly catering for the thousands of tourists that tread these stone and sail up canals, lovers romantic in a gondola, eager tourists gawking from the water buses, queues forming outside the basilica of San Marco amongst the hundred of nodding pigeons in the Square.

So let's see the famous cathedral now - the Basilica of San Marco. The cathedral holds the mortal remains of St. Mark the Evangelist (pinched from under the noses of the Moslens of Alexandria in the year 828. It was St.Marj who brought Christianity to Venice and shares his status with St. Theodore whose statue, astride a crocodile , stands atop of the the columns as you enter the piazza. The Venetians were determined that their cathedral would be the most sumptuous in the world and it was soon adorned with riches and treasure, spoils of war and souvenirs from all over the known world. Wholly Byzantine and in the form of a Greek cross, it is unique and very eastern looking. The original bronze horses that used to stand atop of the main doors (there are now copies there) now reside in the museum and date from the 4th century and were actually looted from Constantinople.

There is gold leaf decoration everywhere, genuine gold leaf, pressed between wafer thin layers of glass and the wonderful mosaics picture scenes from the Old and New Testaments. The church faces east towards the rising sun and for this reason there are no stained glass windows in St.Mark's - the Arab-Moorish influence being that nothing should impede the light from the rising sun into the church.. The Venetian worshippers used to hold their hands up in front of themselves to pray, not as the Orthodox Christians do - clasped together. Behind the High Altar is the famous Pala d'oro - a masterpiece of medieval goldsmithing about 10ft wide and 5ft high. A wonderful sight to see. You have to be careful where you are putting your feet in St.Mark's because the floor is very uneven due to subsidence and indeed some of the beautiful floor is usually roped off to avoid accidents

Venice is sinking of course - but then it has been sinking for 2000 years ever since it was founded in fact, for the city is actually built not on real islands as such, but on hundreds of little mud flats in the sea. and all the buildings we see here are actually built upon foundations of tree trunks, which, due to their being excluded from the air, have never rotted. All the brickwork and the beautiful marble we see, has been imported by boat. Truly a unique city - long may she reign.

Venice is connected by a gigantic road and railway bridge across the lagoon and when one first catches a glimpse of Venice from the mainland by looking across the lagoon, it looks like a mirage sitting tranquilly there over the sea - a wonderful shining dream world and then when you arrive you wonder what all these other tourists are doing there in your dream, then decide that they must be dreaming too. Ahhhhh Venezia - la regina dell'Adriatico.

Rina:)

Category

Do & See

Rina, your comment that it is a "real place" is - for me - one of Venice's greatest fascinations. The roads are water....so the builders' merchants deliver gravel and cement by boat, the funeral barges carry their cargos to the cemetery island, the refuse disposal barges collect the rubbish, the firemen have fast red boats, the police don't have any cars, the buses are water buses, the playboys have Rivas rather than Ferraris....it is all a bit like a SimCity environment if you study the logistics of life with no road transport.
By far the nicest time in Venice is to be had on a Saturday morning - when the tourists are all doing their "changeovers", and there are a few blessed hours of time for Venetians to go about their daily business.

I like Venice in the early morning - the markets being set up - the laundry boats and provision boats docking at the hotels and bst of all la posta.

Ahh - the fish market - gotta be up and runnning before 6 am - but it is worth it!! You are right - Saturdays are calm, but any day before 8 am is delightful - I think we could probably agree that you should not stay in Mestre, or Lido, or even Giudecca - get into a dosshouse on the main island, bring your own mossie killer plugins, and rise early (itching)...

When we were there, my partner got up early on the first morning - i.e. 4.30 am!! He went out into the cold, but had the nicest early morning walk of his life!! Hardly anyone about, all friendly and peaceful!

I would've worried in any other city in the world, but that place is definitely different.

As we went in February just after the Carnevale, it was more quiet altogether. We enjoyed most just 'getting lost' in the maze of alleys and peeking into shop windows, discovering churches - and by the third day we knew our way around easily.

On our last evening, we attended a classical concert in a church the name of which escapes me. It was a bit chilly but wonderful in candlelight!

One day we'll go back... :)

We stayed at the Dei Dogi in the old Jewish Getto a very peaceful area yet minutes from all the great places to see.A trip over to the Lido and Murano are a must!

On my 2nd of 4 (so far) visits to Venezia I was lucky enough to stay at a hotel with a room with balcony on the Grand Canal immediately opposite the fish market. Early on a Saturday morning I was sitting (crouching) in my silk pyjamas on my (tiny/miniscule) balcony watching the hubbub of the market across the way. I waved now and then at vegetable vendors who kindly waved back. The vaporetti with the first loads of tourists began to sail by. I modestly became aware that more and more people were pointing up at my balcony - at me, in my silk pyjamas! Taking pictures! I must really look ok today, I thought, and let that sense of glamour lift me throughout that day. Only when I had my photos developed did I learn that on my hotel's building, immediately below my window, was an enormous hand painted banner saying "Stop Moto Ondoso". Here I thought I was really something. It was only the commentary against the destructive waves from motor boats getting all the attention. What a letdown.

Was that in the Leon Bianco Missjane?
I have let off giant bubbles from those windows - we had standing ovations from people on the vaporettos - great fun to add to the magic of the place.

It was that hotel! Isn't it lovely? Since then I've been renting apartments for a week when there. I've stayed at the back side of the fish market and near Campo San Polo. My dream is to organize a group and rent the 12 bedroom, but cold water only in all but one of the bathrooms, Grand Canal palazzo Ca' Zen. Acres of chilly floors and gloomy furnishings. Or I'll go stay there by myself and live in my own ghost story.

Its a great hotel - we took over all 7 rooms for our wedding in 2004 and had the 3 front rooms which interjoin at the front of the hotel for a party overlooking the G canal.
If anyone is interested its this place - the best room is room 4. [url]http://www.leonbianco.it/[/url]

Like you I usually rent an apartment now - same price as a 2/3 star and loads more space - we were in this place for Redentore in July - despite the heat it was really airy with great views over the gardens and roofs. Its in a nice part (as if there is a nasty part!) of Dorsodoro - [url]http://www.wenicevenice.it/appartements-louer-venise.htm[/url]

Theres a great little book - 'venetian legends and ghost stories - a guide to places of mystery in venice' by Alberto Toso Fei which will feed your spooky imagination..

[url]http://www.venicebooky.com/cannaregio/cazen/index.htm[/url] This is my fantasy stay - at Ca' Zen. Through this agency I've also stayed at the apartment Becarie and also at Ca' Manin. Becarie was a bit modern/humdrum in design but a great location back of the fish market. I really liked Ca 'Manin near Campo San Polo. My dad and I went last year in May for his 80th birthday.
Your wedding party sounds super. I'll take a look for this book. Thanks so much,
Jane

Hi Missjane
Wow that does look fantastic and with 5/6 people compared to hotels its a bloomin bargain..I've looked at that site before but we usually only go for 3/4 nights and I think they only let on a weekly basis.
I think I've now been to Venice about 12 times and what I love is there is always somewhere different and interesting to stay and always some church or museum that you've never visited before. And always some lovely restaurants and bars too to discover. I hope to go every year at least once for the rest of my life..Always come home feeling totally relaxed and refreshed and culturally sated.
If you have never been for Redentore do put it on your list of future 'must dos' especially if you like fireworks. It was fantastic.

I've stayed via VeniceBooky less than a week and more than a week and they've been obliging each time. I've not been to Redentore but would love to. I've visited only in the autumn and in the spring. Venice in the snow is a dream of mine. I've read all the Donna Leon books and admired them for their travelogue aspects as well as the excellently written dramas. Every time I go to Venice I expect to feel jaded, waiting for the magic to wear off. It hasn't yet. I do avoid San Marco in high season but can always find some corner with some unexpected slice of life or piece of beauty. If you're hooked on Venice, it's for always.

3896 Venice - The Queen of the Adriatic

Early morning...

Albergo Leon Bianco