Took the night train from Milan to Venice for an 8:30pm arrival. Our hotel was easy to find, just minutes from the Piazza San Marco, the centerpiece of Venetian history and culture. “blocks” are small, “streets” are smaller. Blocks are the width of buildings built 4-500 years ago. Streets are the width of the horse and push carts of the same era, 4-6 feet wide. We felt we were in a time machine.
Because we saw so much, I will include photos of the highlights. In background, Venice was the “center of the cultural and trade world” for around three hundred years from the 16th through the 18th centuries. All trade in Europe and the Middle East passed through Venice. The merchant’s decadence and wealth were profound.. It is laced together by 400 bridges and 2,000 alley ways. However, its population has halved in the last 30 years though as the city is sinking slowly in the muck it was originally built on 1500 years ago. With weight and global warming, the city continues to disappear, many of the palaces built by merchants 500 years ago, which are now hotels and apartments; the first floor has been abandoned to the sea. Below, the highlights in no particular order:
On the left, the world’s first “digital” clock dating from the Renaissance. It is 11:05am. It changes every 5 minutes. On the right, a typical alley way.
On the left, a typical gondola, there are now 500, in Venice’s heyday, there were 100,000! On the right, a view of the Piazza San Marco, one of the biggest in Europe, the length of two football fields!
The Campinale. This is fairly modern, built in 1902 to replace the ancient once that collapsed. It rings hourly 24/7! On the right is the Grand Canal. Where all the merchants lived and traded. Spectacular.
The Rialto Bridge, this one was built in 1588, the third in this location. It is probably the most photographed landmark in Venice. On the right is the Basilica di San Marco. Built in the 11th century to replace an earlier church. It has a distinct Eastern-style architecture underlining Venice’s connection with the Byzantium. It’s interior is primarily gold mosaics. A trophy chest from the booty returned by the sea captains during Venice’s heyday.
It was cold! How cold was it? 32 degrees with 100% humidity. Many layers to stay warm. Moderate number of tourists, primarily from Asian countries. We can’t imagine what it is like in the summer. Gridlock.
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