Ahhh Venice, this city is almost too surreal but I gotta tell you how we got here…so in order to that we gotta go back to Zagreb. The trip was booked here by Goga’s aunt so we thought we’d head over to Kompass where it was booked and ask a few questions. You see we thought that since we were already in Italy we could leave the tour after Rome and hit Florence then Venice then find our own way to Dobrovnik (which is pretty much across the Adriatic Sea), then to Zagreb and back to Belgrade. The good people at Kompass said the tour guide Josko is responsible for bringing us back and to leave us in Italy would cause a country wide man hunt. Ok so Goga and I went to a local internet cafe and using the internet and the phones she worked out that the minute we get to the first bus stop on Croatian soil which was Rijeka we’d spend the night in a hostel. Hostel’s not necessarily everyones preferred choice of accommodations but cheap and available. In the morning we would leave by bus back to an Italian city called Trieste from which we would take a train to Venice which is where were at now. Spend the day in Venice then take another 12 hour bus ride to Dubrovnik where we would stay in private accommodations in a town called Zaton Mali 15 minutes from Dubrovnik. From there take a plane back to Zagreb then the train to Belgrade. That’s the Itinerary. After paying 50 Euros to the ticket collector on the train we’ll call him super Mario Brother for not stamping our ticket. The train arrives to fascinating yet interesting point in the journey. As we approach Venice the very ground, the very tracks underneath us disappears giving the impression were floating. It’s the weirdest thing. It’s like the train transformed it a ferry. So as I was saying this city is almost too surreal. It’s like something completely dreamed up by James Cameron. It has also been described by the Times Online as being one of Europe’s most romantic cities. This is probably due to the Gondolas. The gondola is a traditional, flat-bottomed Venetian rowing boat, made using 8 different types of wood, composed of 280 pieces. The left side of the gondola is made longer than the right which resists the tendency to turn left at the forward stroke and I heard you also have to born in Venice to be a gondolier. So where trying to find Saint Marco’s Square which is the main square in Venice…
Heh, navigating through Venice is like finding a needle in a hay stack and sometimes I get the feeling we’re gonna get jumped by the next store owner who has to hear “Can you tell me how to get to St. Mark’s Square” instead of buying something but everything is crazy expensive. Good thing there not charging for directions. My brother Andrew was telling me one funny thing about Venice, he said that as you walk you’ll find people staring at you. He soon came to realize that they’re staring at you cause like you there trying to find the same places as you but no-one has the balls to ask or admit there lost. See these people here, they’re probably trying to find St. Mark’s Square too ha ha. Venice, historically was the capital of an independent city-state. Also known as the “La Dominante”, “Serenissima”, “Queen of the Adriatic”, “City of Water”, “City of Masks”, “City of Bridges”, “The Floating City”, and the “City of Canals”. Luigi Barzini of The New York Times says it’s “undoubtedly the most beautiful city built by man”…
Yes actually, the city stretches across 117 small islands in the marshy Venetian Lagoon along the Adriatic Sea in northeast Italy. The saltwater lagoon stretches along the shoreline between the mouths of the Po and the Piave Rivers. The population is estimated at 272,000 inhabitants which includes the population of the whole Comune of Venezia; around 60,000. In the historic city of Venice 176,000 and 31,000 live on other islands in the lagoon…
Yes brilliant observation Goga, thanks for that but aside from water there are lots of masks. The Carnival of Venice, an annual festival which starts around two weeks before Ash Wednesday and ends the day before Ash Wednesday. Carnivale started as a time for celebration and expression throughout the classes, as wearing masks hid any form of identity between social classes. During the 1970’s, the Italian government decided to bring back the history and culture of Venice, and today, approximately 30,000 visitors come to Venice each day for Carnivals.
Andrew also told me that in order to get to St. Marco’s square we need to simply follow the signs on the buildings. Sounds easy enough however there are so many side alleys, shops and distractions your easily taken off the beaten path which is taking us a bit longer, I think.
Naww i already told it…
This city truly is fascinating, boats for buses, boats for taxi’s, not a single car in sight.
I don’t know, by the time we find saint Marco’s square it will be time to head back. You need more than a day here, at least 2 or 3.
The buildings of Venice are constructed on closely spaced wood piles, which were imported from the mainland. (Under water, in the absence of oxygen, wood doesn’t decay. It is petrified as a result of the constant flow of mineral-rich water around and through it, so that it becomes a stone-like structure.) Some even say it’s sinking.
Yes my fave PS3 game Assassins Creed, part of which takes place in Venice and after playing for several hours it’s almost like De-Ja Vu. So according to the game this church is San Giacomo di Rialto. Located in San Polo it’s believed to be the oldest church in Venice and was supposedly consecrated in the year 421. It is notable for the large 15th century clock above the entrance. And just like the game around the corner is Rialto Bridge. The Rialto Bridge is one of the four bridges spanning the Grand Canal. It’s the oldest bridge across the canal.
The development and importance of the Rialto market on the eastern bank increased traffic on the floating bridge, so it was replaced in 1255 by a wooden bridge. The present stone bridge, a single span designed by Antonio da Ponte, was finally completed in 1591. It is remarkably similar to the wooden bridge it succeeded. Two inclined ramps lead up to a central portico. On either side of the portico the covered ramps carry rows of shops. The engineering of the bridge was considered so audacious that architect Vincenzo Scamozzi predicted future ruin. The bridge has defied its critics to become one of the architectural icons of Venice. Not to mention it has a nice view.
The bad thing about living on water is that the city is still threatened by more frequent low-level floods (called Acqua alta, “high water”). This creeps to a height of several centimeters over its quays after certain tides. In many old houses the former staircases used by people to unload goods are now flooded, rendering the former ground floor uninhabitable. Some recent studies have suggested that the city is no longer sinking but it’s not for sure so there still in a state of alert. So enter inflatable gates; the idea is to lay a series of 79 inflatable pontoons across the sea bed at the three entrances to the lagoon. When tides are predicted to rise above 110 centimetres, the pontoons will be filled with air and block the incoming water from the Adriatic Sea. The cool thing about living on water is the islands on which the city is built are connected by 409 bridges. In the old centre, the canals serve the function of roads, and almost every form of transport is on water or on foot. Venice is Europe’s largest urban car free area, unique in Europe in remaining a sizable functioning city in the 21st century entirely without cars or trucks.
Shit. I think we found it. Walk through this archway under St Mark’s Clocktower which dates back to the last decade of the 15th century. The mechanism of the clock has been altered though but It was placed where the clock would be visible from the waters of the lagoon so everyone can notice the wealth and glory of Venice. Ahhh Saint Marco’s square…finally. Saint Mark’s Square, is the principal square of Venice. Saint Mark’s Basilica is the most famous of the city’s churches and one of the best known examples of Byzantine architecture. The first St Mark’s was a temporary building in the Doge’s Palace, constructed in 828, when Venetian merchants stole the supposed relics of Mark the Evangelist from Alexandria. This was replaced by a new church on its present site in 832. The new church was burned in a rebellion in 976, rebuilt in 978 and again to form the basis of the present basilica since 1063. The basilica was consecrated in 1094. The Basilica of San Marco dominates the piazza at its eastern end and San Marco’s Campanile standing free, facing it. This is Venices tallest building 323 feet tall and built 912. It’s purpose: bell tower, look out and light house. It’s one of the most recognizable symbols of the city.
Across the lagoon is the Santa Maria della Salute. A great white-domed edifice which has occupied a pivotal point on the Venetian skyline for more than 350 years. Built in 1631 in honor of the Virgin to deliver Venice from a plague that claimed more than 45, 000 lives.
Also across the lagoon is San Giorgio Maggiore. Benedictine Monastery of San Giorgio was established in 982, when the doge Tribuno Memmo donated the whole island to a monk, Giovanni Morosini. The monks drained the island’s marshes next to the church to get the ground for building. San Giorgio is now best known for the Church of San Giorgio Maggiore, designed by Palladio and begun in 1566. It’s now the headquarters of the Cini Foundation arts centre, known for its library and is also home to the Teatro Verde open-air theatre.
We gotta start making our way back to the train station. There’s way too many things to see here we literally only scratched the grand canals water surface. I’d love to be a part of the famous carnival festival but for now we head back to Rijeka.
(Source: blip.tv)
