Venice is iconic. Even if you’ve never been there, you can picture gondolas gliding along countless canals, labyrinthine alleys flanked by pastel buildings, imposing palaces overlooking the Grand Canal, a diverse architecture that spans the Byzantine, the Gothic, the Renaissance and the Baroque, with varied elements such as arcades, balconies, covered bridges, columns, loggias. Venice inspires romance, even when originally there was nothing remotely romantic: many people, for instance, marvel at the Bridge of Sighs, imagining that the name was inspired by lovers’ sighs when, in reality, the bridge led to a prison and was so named because prisoners sighed on their way to the dungeons…Nowadays, the Bridge of Sighs will likely give rise to groans of disappointment as it is surrounded by Sisley billboards (one of the Benetton brands), so many that you wouldn’t notice the bridge if you didn’t know it was there. Sisley is contributing to renovations of the surrounding buildings, but still…did they need to put an ad right on top of the bridge?
Venice was historically an independent nation, and its history started in the 5th and 6th centuries as mainland inhabitants fled the barbarian invasions and sought refuge in the islands of the Venetian lagoon. Due to its strategic position, Venice became an important trade center between Western Europe and the rest of the world, and its involvement in the Crusades brought treasures plundered from Constantinople and extensive territories. By the end of the 13th century, Venice was the most prosperous city in Europe and its fleet of 3,300 ships dominated Mediterranean commerce. During this period, Venice’s leading families vied with each other to build the most sumptuous palaces and patronize the greatest artists.
Venice’s decline started in the 15th century with the loss of some of its territories to the increasingly powerful Turks, followed by the discovery of the Americas and a new sea trade route to India, which put an end to Venice’s route monopoly. After over 1,000 years, Venice lost its independence in 1797 when it was conquered by Napoleon. It then became part of the Austrian empire before it was finally annexed by the newly created Kingdom of Italy in 1866.
Venice encompasses 118 islands, 150 canals, 410 bridges, and is divided into six sestieri (districts): Cannaregio, Castello, San Marco, San Polo, Dorsoduro and Santa Croce, and these divisions are so ancient that the gondolas in the city have a metal piece in front with six notches pointing forward representing each sestiere. The main sestiere is San Marco, the location of Piazza San Marco, the Basilica di San Marco, the Doge’s Palace, and a number of museums and historical buildings. This is the most heavily touristed area in the city.
This was my second trip to Venice; I first came in November 1999, spending 3 days in cloudy and damp weather. We arrived in late afternoon when it was already getting dark, and after we settled in our hotel, we headed to Piazza San Marco, which we found eerily empty and dark. We went again the next morning, and found that there were more pigeons than people, some flying by so close that I thought they were kamikaze. We never saw the sun, and I kept thinking that I’d have to come back someday in summer to see the city in a different light.
So here I was again, this time in summer, and I instantly realized that worse than being swarmed by a bunch of kamikaze pigeons is being surrounded by legions of kamikaze tourists who move around without looking where they’re going and end up crashing into you. Plus, no pigeon would ever land smack in the middle of the scene you’re trying to photograph dressed head to toe in bright pink garb acting like it belongs there. Tourists were so numerous that they were even causing gondola jams…
What I’m describing is especially true in the San Marco sestiere. And though it’s great to admire the elaborately built, history-steeped Piazza, there were so many people that we felt suffocated, and decided we needed some breathing room; so we went for my favorite Venetian experience - getting lost. Venetian streets form a huge maze and you’ll inevitably get lost at some point, so make it to your advantage and grab the chance to go where most tourists don’t go. The best places to get lost in are the sestieri of Cannaregio, Castello and Dorsoduro, where much to our surprise, we could still find empty streets/canals even in summer.
A good day trip from Venice is to one or more of the neighboring islands. Most people head to Murano, famous for its glass. But I myself prefer Burano, a fishing town known for its lace and the quaintest village I’ve ever seen, with each house in a different pastel color. When we came in 1999, we seemed to be the only tourists on the island; we strolled for a couple hours barely seeing anyone else, and it felt like we had the whole place all to ourselves. Now, that was romantic! This time, a load of other people got off the ferry with us, and I thought it might be as crowded as San Marco, but fortunately I was wrong. Most tourists headed to the main street with its lace stores while we headed to the residential area, which this time was bursting in even more colors as almost every windowsill had flowers on it. Burano remains my favorite place in Venice, even more so now that I’ve discovered that the island still allows you to find a secluded place, even in the peak of summer.
I’ve met people who deem Venice the most beautiful city in the world, and I’ve met some who were not much impressed. Either way, no one can deny that there is no place like Venice, and this second time around, the city’s alleys and canals still enchant, retaining its timelessness despite having become essentially a tourist town. To me, the thing about Venice is that you need to feel transported to another era to be able to really appreciate the city, to be able to get your head around the work of centuries that made Venice what it is. I absolutely had it in 1999, in the quietude and coolness of late fall. It was harder this time amongst the hordes, but maybe that’s just another fascinating aspect of the city: once you get lost, that’s when you discover a Venice to call your own.
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