The Queen of Adriatic: Venetia
The Queen of Adriatic: Venetia
“Venice, its temples and palaces did seem like fabrics of enchantment piled to heaven.” ― Percy Bysshe Shelley
Venice is the northeast capital of the Veneto region in Italy, the city is known as Venetia or Venezia. Venetia is an Italian name which is popular all over the world. It means the woman from Venice; the name is a symbol of success. Venice is known for the monuments, bridges, the canals, art, literature, and architecture. The lagoon and part of the city are an element of the World Heritage Centre and now UNESCO contemplates on declaring it an Endangered World Heritage Center due to its deteriorating state. Venezia had a population of people who were refugees from the Roman civilization like those of Padua, Treviso and other nearby places. Venice was a center for commerce and an International Financial Center in the middle ages and Renaissance making it a wealthy province. (Venice is built on an archipelago of 118 islands formed by 177 canals in a shallow lagoon, connected by 409 bridges. The buildings of Venice are constructed on closely spaced wooden piles. Most of these piles are still intact after centuries of submersion. The piles penetrate a softer layer of sand and mud until they reach a much harder layer of compressed clay…. Wiki)
After spending a day at Verona that flung my memories to the lesson ‘Two Gentlemen of Verona’ written by AJ Cronin, we were ready to visit Venice. Our guide told us that if we missed being at the port by 9.30 in the morning we would not get the cruise to reach the port of Venice via the canal named Giudecca Canal that morning and that we would have to visit it in the evening. I kept asking if the island was Venice, what the place where we stood called. The guide uttered ‘the mainland of Venice’ and ushered us into a large boat. There are six regions of Venice. The crowd was overwhelming, but the boats did not overload people. We had sufficient space to move on the deck or sit in our places. I saw the youngsters run to the upper deck near the window spaces where they put their legs out through the windows to sit on the seats inside while enjoying the view. They did not howl, hoot or make a single bit of sound, but were in deep contemplation as they looked at the island of wonders; their beaming countenance expressed their happiness. The tourists seemed to be from all over the world, they were of all ages too. I saw the elderly along with their dear ones in the wheelchairs, some of them all alone, signifying their zest to travel to places. We were welcomed on the shore by two beautiful tall ladies dressed traditionally in red and blue. They reminded us of the Roman attire, the frilly frocks and beautiful veil left us mesmerised on the sunny day. The island also replicated the plot and the settings of the plays written by Shakespeare; specifically it was the Merchant of Venice. Our guide had a tough time elucidating about the spot, owing to the crowd. The place was filled with tourists. This was the first enormous crowd we had encountered in Europe There were large groups all over the place with many people making the mob resemble a mini Mumbai; the only exception was that it was a quiet mob, which was eager to know more about the place.
At one of the squares, we saw the booking space of the Gondola center. It was a large space protected by bars which opened as a wide doorway on the island. The place also led to a Gondola dock. There were many men dressed as executives, reminding us of the Police, owing to the way they spoke and behaved. There were chairs in the office, but people preferred sitting away from the doorway on the footpath. Many of the tourists were found sitting on the stairs leading to the Gondola Pier. The Gondola ride was a thirty-minute ride around the Grand Canal, below the Bridge of Sighs and many more places at 80 Euros for a group of six. We bought the tickets and a sporty Gondola oarsman dressed in a striped shirt showed us our way to a tiny hanging bridge. He then led us on a small length of the stone bridge that rose in water to ultimately step in gently into the well-decorated boat known as a Gondola. He assessed our height and weight and then asked us to take our place. There was no choice as the balance was to be maintained. When I stood up, to click a photograph of him, the boat swayed like a pendulum making the Gondola owner shout at me, saying “no movement madam, sit still”. As the Gondola began moving, we saw the river, the bridges, the canal, the transport through water and the architecture of the place wondering was this the city of the Adriatic on the rivers Po and Piave. The ride depicted that it was a water route used by people for transport and trade. The Gondolas ferried under the Bridge of Sighs (Ponte Dei Sospiri) where the Gondola Oarsman began singing an Italian romantic song. In the modern era, people believe that a Gondola ride under the Bridge of Sighs seals the love of couples to remain loyal eternally. The Bridge of Sighs encloses a prison built of limestone and stone walls. People say that in the olden days the convicts sighed on the Bridge of Sighs owing to their last walk as free men.
We had the whole day to explore after having crossed four bridges and four squares. The island had squares after every bridge, the public squares named Piazza opened in the lagoon at one of the ends. At the Western end, we saw the San Marco Piazza also known as the St Mark’s Square, which nestled the St’ Mark’s church with beautiful Roman architecture, and many arcades leading to the lagoon at one end. Every Piazza had marble architecture of lions, winged lions or horses, indicating the power and pride of Venice. These places have also been social, religious and political centers in Venice. It was a walking tour; the place was filled with eateries, monuments, music, and people. There were school teachers who had brought their students on an educational tour. There were college students who had also come along with their teachers. The zeal and sincerity were very similar to Indian students. We even saw an elderly couple get married at the St Marks Basilica. They walked down the aisle with the bridesmaids and many others who made the day memorable for the couple.
The four bridges are unique in their architecture displaying the culture of the place, the oldest being the Bridge of Sighs or Ponte Di Rialto. The most recently built one with modern architecture is Ponte Di Calatrava, the third bridge near academic galleries is called the Ponte Dell’Accademia and the last one is Ponte Degli Scalzi which is also known as The Bridge of the Barefoot’. The square Piazza San Marco is the most popular square in the world with its sights, architecture, and shops. The Clocktower was huge with unique architecture, it helped us mark the place and identify spots like the Doge’s Palace and many more shopping arenas
We visited the restaurants that sold authentic pizzas and the best coffee. The Grand Canal is S-shaped and divides Venice into two parts with the striking architecture facing the sea. The scenic monuments are further beautified by the presence of the Gondola Piers and the tethered Gondolas in the sea. The row of palaces on each side looks like mirror images. There are three regions marked on each side with 72 Parishes. The scorching sun also held our enthusiasm through a group of musicians who played violin relentlessly in their traditional dress. The place spoke about art, architecture, culture and above all a welcoming society.
Venice is like eating an entire box of chocolate liqueurs in one go.” ― Truman Capote
