Saturday, May 07, 2005
Venice Photos now up
Ahhhh… Venice (by Joe and Lou)
Arrival
We arrived at the airport at 10 pm. The boat ride to Venice was in blackness, we saw some lights on the way but could not distinguish any particular main island. Our instructions on how to get to the B&B, on the island of Lido, were a bit vague so we got a bit lost. It’s always a little harder finding your way to your accommodation when you arrive in a city late at night. We caught the bus in the wrong direction but managed to find our way to our B&B (Lido is also the only island with cars and roads) just before 12am with the help of a friendly concierge at a nearby hotel.
Day 1
Following a simple breakfast we headed down to the Vaporetto (water bus). As there are no cars or roads in Venice you get around by boat and walking. The weather was gloriously sunny and warm. Our first impressions of the city where the great beauty of the architecture, pretty greenery and the relaxing element of water running through the city, in the form of canals, and around the city, in the form of the lagoon.
Our first stop was the Tourist office to get a “mappa”. The office is very near San Marco the only Piazza in Venice (all the rest are called Campos). This is the busiest tourist area of the city, there was so much action going on, on land and water. Tourist stalls, people taking photos, lining up for attractions, sitting around at restaurants, waiting for Vaporetto and water taxis and, of course, taking Gondola rides. The LP recommended taking a Vaporetto ride up Grand Canal. This is the largest canal and splits Venice in two. Riding on the water you can see all the drama of water travel Venice style and the grand mansions that line each side.
Back on the mainland we went in the main Basilica located at one end of the San Marco Piazza. Unfortunately the interior was poorly lit and the grandeur of the gold leaf mosaic ceiling was diminished. The exterior was made of many different types of marble, a sign of great wealth, and seemed to us to have a Moroccan influence with a few domes and many mosaics. We were also very impressed with the intricate designs of the floor tiles.
The LP also said walking is the best way to see Venice so we devoted the rest of the day to this wandering around the narrow streets. It describes Venice as an “open air museum” every building, every Campo, every canal looks like it has not changed in hundreds of years. Everywhere you look is a beautiful scene.
Day 2
The Island we stayed on (there are 137 in total), called Lido, acts as a breakwater for the Venice Lagoon. The side facing the Adriatic is one long beach. Lido was a very fashionable destination for holiday-makers and is still very popular in the height of summer where the beach gets very crowded. When we took a look it was almost empty although it was before lunchtime. We saw some people arriving, setting up their umbrellas and stripping down to their bikinis. There were a lot of middle-aged people who had already seen too much sun. We guess they didn’t know about skin cancer in their day but they are pushing their luck now.
We had planned for this day to be for visiting galleries however, because it was May Day, they were all closed. So we decided to try to visit some of the churches instead. The one we chose was in the middle of a service so we had a wonderful lunch on the bank of one of the larger Canals to pass the time. It was lovely sitting outside and soaking in the beauty and special atmosphere of Venice. The restaurant was quite posh so Lou tried to be sophisticated by getting some Pinot Grigio. Her head didn’t thank her afterward, talk about instant hangover!
Doges Palace
The wine and water Lou consumed made it necessary to use the public facilities back at San Marco. It was a stroke of luck as afterward we saw that the Doges Palace (a highlight of the trip) was open for visitors. We have seen some grand buildings on our travels but this was up there with the most impressive. The Doge was the figurehead of the Venetian republic (like the Queen is now in England). The palace was his residence and the Doge and the seat of the State Government. In the council chambers the walls and ceilings were covered in beautiful paintings, with depictions of religious and war scenes designed to inspire the decision makers, combined with equally beautiful gold frames integrated into the walls and ceilings. Titian and many other famous painters of the period painted these scenes. The tour of the palace finishes with the prison cells and the famous Bridge of Sighs. This is a fully covered bridge prisoners would cross following sentencing in the courts on their way to the cells. They would sigh looking out through the bridges small windows as they got their last look at the beauty of the city before being imprisoned.
Day 3
This was our gallery day. We first visited the Academy of Fine Arts that contained paintings representing the progression of Venetian art through the centuries with mostly religious and classical themes. There were many very large and beautiful canvasses that looked like they had been recently restored as their colours were rich and bright. Next was the Peggy Guggenheim gallery situated in her former palace along the banks of the Grand Canal. Lou struggled to appreciate the modern art as much as the fine art. Sometimes it seems very inaccessible and self indulgent.
We split up after that to do our own thing. Lou headed for the shops on the Rialto Bridge and Joe went for a wander around the narrow streets. After meeting up again we rushed to San Marco to see if we could go up the tower. Luckily it was still open with a very civilised elevator to take visitors up to the top. Of course the view was superb. You can get an appreciation for the amount of little islands Venice is made up of and see the mainland.
San Marco, although the main tourist area, has a nice atmosphere as each café/restaurant has a little band playing music (they alternate so there isn’t one big cacophony of noise). It even induced Joe to take Lou in his arms for a quick dance. We then went for a final walk along the waterfront and caught a Vaporetto back to Lido for dinner.
Summary
Venice is a unique city in so many ways. It’s history, architecture and transport all combine to make a special place. The perfect weather, very good transport system, and well-organised attractions combined to make this a stress free trip. I was surprised at the absence of fast food chains in the city, there must be some law against them. Although we did not take the traditional gondola ride (they are very expensive) we did take a Traghetto which is a gondola that ferries you from one side of the grand canal to the other. It seems that Venice has pretty much been left to the tourists and there were lots of them around. I don’t think it would be pleasant at the height of the tourist season. Venice is most photogenic city we have seen and we have lots of photos to prove it.
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We arrived at the airport at 10 pm. The boat ride to Venice was in blackness, we saw some lights on the way but could not distinguish any particular main island. Our instructions on how to get to the B&B, on the island of Lido, were a bit vague so we got a bit lost. It’s always a little harder finding your way to your accommodation when you arrive in a city late at night. We caught the bus in the wrong direction but managed to find our way to our B&B (Lido is also the only island with cars and roads) just before 12am with the help of a friendly concierge at a nearby hotel.
Day 1
Following a simple breakfast we headed down to the Vaporetto (water bus). As there are no cars or roads in Venice you get around by boat and walking. The weather was gloriously sunny and warm. Our first impressions of the city where the great beauty of the architecture, pretty greenery and the relaxing element of water running through the city, in the form of canals, and around the city, in the form of the lagoon.
Our first stop was the Tourist office to get a “mappa”. The office is very near San Marco the only Piazza in Venice (all the rest are called Campos). This is the busiest tourist area of the city, there was so much action going on, on land and water. Tourist stalls, people taking photos, lining up for attractions, sitting around at restaurants, waiting for Vaporetto and water taxis and, of course, taking Gondola rides. The LP recommended taking a Vaporetto ride up Grand Canal. This is the largest canal and splits Venice in two. Riding on the water you can see all the drama of water travel Venice style and the grand mansions that line each side.
Back on the mainland we went in the main Basilica located at one end of the San Marco Piazza. Unfortunately the interior was poorly lit and the grandeur of the gold leaf mosaic ceiling was diminished. The exterior was made of many different types of marble, a sign of great wealth, and seemed to us to have a Moroccan influence with a few domes and many mosaics. We were also very impressed with the intricate designs of the floor tiles.
The LP also said walking is the best way to see Venice so we devoted the rest of the day to this wandering around the narrow streets. It describes Venice as an “open air museum” every building, every Campo, every canal looks like it has not changed in hundreds of years. Everywhere you look is a beautiful scene.
Day 2
The Island we stayed on (there are 137 in total), called Lido, acts as a breakwater for the Venice Lagoon. The side facing the Adriatic is one long beach. Lido was a very fashionable destination for holiday-makers and is still very popular in the height of summer where the beach gets very crowded. When we took a look it was almost empty although it was before lunchtime. We saw some people arriving, setting up their umbrellas and stripping down to their bikinis. There were a lot of middle-aged people who had already seen too much sun. We guess they didn’t know about skin cancer in their day but they are pushing their luck now.
We had planned for this day to be for visiting galleries however, because it was May Day, they were all closed. So we decided to try to visit some of the churches instead. The one we chose was in the middle of a service so we had a wonderful lunch on the bank of one of the larger Canals to pass the time. It was lovely sitting outside and soaking in the beauty and special atmosphere of Venice. The restaurant was quite posh so Lou tried to be sophisticated by getting some Pinot Grigio. Her head didn’t thank her afterward, talk about instant hangover!
Doges Palace
The wine and water Lou consumed made it necessary to use the public facilities back at San Marco. It was a stroke of luck as afterward we saw that the Doges Palace (a highlight of the trip) was open for visitors. We have seen some grand buildings on our travels but this was up there with the most impressive. The Doge was the figurehead of the Venetian republic (like the Queen is now in England). The palace was his residence and the Doge and the seat of the State Government. In the council chambers the walls and ceilings were covered in beautiful paintings, with depictions of religious and war scenes designed to inspire the decision makers, combined with equally beautiful gold frames integrated into the walls and ceilings. Titian and many other famous painters of the period painted these scenes. The tour of the palace finishes with the prison cells and the famous Bridge of Sighs. This is a fully covered bridge prisoners would cross following sentencing in the courts on their way to the cells. They would sigh looking out through the bridges small windows as they got their last look at the beauty of the city before being imprisoned.
Day 3
This was our gallery day. We first visited the Academy of Fine Arts that contained paintings representing the progression of Venetian art through the centuries with mostly religious and classical themes. There were many very large and beautiful canvasses that looked like they had been recently restored as their colours were rich and bright. Next was the Peggy Guggenheim gallery situated in her former palace along the banks of the Grand Canal. Lou struggled to appreciate the modern art as much as the fine art. Sometimes it seems very inaccessible and self indulgent.
We split up after that to do our own thing. Lou headed for the shops on the Rialto Bridge and Joe went for a wander around the narrow streets. After meeting up again we rushed to San Marco to see if we could go up the tower. Luckily it was still open with a very civilised elevator to take visitors up to the top. Of course the view was superb. You can get an appreciation for the amount of little islands Venice is made up of and see the mainland.
San Marco, although the main tourist area, has a nice atmosphere as each café/restaurant has a little band playing music (they alternate so there isn’t one big cacophony of noise). It even induced Joe to take Lou in his arms for a quick dance. We then went for a final walk along the waterfront and caught a Vaporetto back to Lido for dinner.
Summary
Venice is a unique city in so many ways. It’s history, architecture and transport all combine to make a special place. The perfect weather, very good transport system, and well-organised attractions combined to make this a stress free trip. I was surprised at the absence of fast food chains in the city, there must be some law against them. Although we did not take the traditional gondola ride (they are very expensive) we did take a Traghetto which is a gondola that ferries you from one side of the grand canal to the other. It seems that Venice has pretty much been left to the tourists and there were lots of them around. I don’t think it would be pleasant at the height of the tourist season. Venice is most photogenic city we have seen and we have lots of photos to prove it.
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