Saturday, May 21, 2005
Venezia, rapidamente
[tags: _travel]
(first part here).
Saturday morning, we were up early to sort out our breakfast (cream croissants and cappuccinos). We wandered up Canareggio district to the Ponte Tre Archi and admired the view of the mainland. Van raved about the flower boxes in every window and the colorful, sea-faded look of the houses.
Sadly, we fell at the first hurdle and bought Venetian carnival masks at the very first souveneir shop we saw. Thankfully, they didn't rip us off too badly and were very friendly as we tried on various configurations of Arlecchino and cat's faces.
On our way to the main attractions (the Rialto and San Marco) we ducked into the Franchetti Gallery in the Ca' d' Oro (the house of gold?) Local favorite Titian (Tiziano) was on display here, as was a stunning portrait of St Bartholomew being pierced by arrows. From the grandly sculpted balconies, we watched the vaporetti cruise along the Canal. In the courtyard of the museum the tiled floors were fantastic in the morning sunshine.
After the Franchetti, we followed the signs to the Rialto like the growing horde of tourists behind us. The wonderful thing about Venice is that you forget you are on a fantasy island, as you wander the shops and get lost in the crowds, then you turn left and a canal winds away into the open lagoon beyond. At the Ponte Rialto we stopped for gelato, then crossed over into the sights and smells of the fish and veg market and sat down for a breather. We watched cheerful gondolieri steer fat American ladies with cameras away from the water; and locals chatting away over bundles of asparagus and sugar beet.
Continuing our slow way to San Marco, I began to appreciate the timelessness of the place, at once endangered and eternal. Everywhere you looked - in the adjustable flood barriers, the takeover of the tourist industry from actual Venetians - you could see the death of a city that should never have been in the first place.
Finally, we arrived at St. Mark's Cathedral and Square. At first I was a bit underwhelmed - sure, the square itself was a fantastic sight; and the Cathedral equally so; but as squares go, it was dwarfed by Tiananmen and out-splendored by Brussels' Grand Plaza. Maybe it was the long walk in preparation for it; or the lack of sun by the time we got there; or the tourists and pigeons, symbiotically dancing with breadcrumbs in every available space. However, inside the Cathedral my spirits lifted. Intricately tiled floors, bronze and beaten gold on the walls and vaults; the Byzantine glory of a place where the eastern and western churches bid for power. The altar screen of the church alone was inlaid with thousands of jewels of every concievable size and variety.
After buying a few more trinkets from the handy trinket shops outside the Doges Palace, we looped round to the Bridge of Sighs (nice, but nothing special - the tourist crush was really getting to me) and took a well-deserved lunch break with sandwiches and wine in a nearby cafe.
(first part here).
Saturday morning, we were up early to sort out our breakfast (cream croissants and cappuccinos). We wandered up Canareggio district to the Ponte Tre Archi and admired the view of the mainland. Van raved about the flower boxes in every window and the colorful, sea-faded look of the houses.
Sadly, we fell at the first hurdle and bought Venetian carnival masks at the very first souveneir shop we saw. Thankfully, they didn't rip us off too badly and were very friendly as we tried on various configurations of Arlecchino and cat's faces.
On our way to the main attractions (the Rialto and San Marco) we ducked into the Franchetti Gallery in the Ca' d' Oro (the house of gold?) Local favorite Titian (Tiziano) was on display here, as was a stunning portrait of St Bartholomew being pierced by arrows. From the grandly sculpted balconies, we watched the vaporetti cruise along the Canal. In the courtyard of the museum the tiled floors were fantastic in the morning sunshine.
from the Ca'd'Oro
After the Franchetti, we followed the signs to the Rialto like the growing horde of tourists behind us. The wonderful thing about Venice is that you forget you are on a fantasy island, as you wander the shops and get lost in the crowds, then you turn left and a canal winds away into the open lagoon beyond. At the Ponte Rialto we stopped for gelato, then crossed over into the sights and smells of the fish and veg market and sat down for a breather. We watched cheerful gondolieri steer fat American ladies with cameras away from the water; and locals chatting away over bundles of asparagus and sugar beet.
Continuing our slow way to San Marco, I began to appreciate the timelessness of the place, at once endangered and eternal. Everywhere you looked - in the adjustable flood barriers, the takeover of the tourist industry from actual Venetians - you could see the death of a city that should never have been in the first place.
en route to San Marco
Finally, we arrived at St. Mark's Cathedral and Square. At first I was a bit underwhelmed - sure, the square itself was a fantastic sight; and the Cathedral equally so; but as squares go, it was dwarfed by Tiananmen and out-splendored by Brussels' Grand Plaza. Maybe it was the long walk in preparation for it; or the lack of sun by the time we got there; or the tourists and pigeons, symbiotically dancing with breadcrumbs in every available space. However, inside the Cathedral my spirits lifted. Intricately tiled floors, bronze and beaten gold on the walls and vaults; the Byzantine glory of a place where the eastern and western churches bid for power. The altar screen of the church alone was inlaid with thousands of jewels of every concievable size and variety.
After buying a few more trinkets from the handy trinket shops outside the Doges Palace, we looped round to the Bridge of Sighs (nice, but nothing special - the tourist crush was really getting to me) and took a well-deserved lunch break with sandwiches and wine in a nearby cafe.
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