Wandering the Streets of Venice
Wandering the Streets of Venice
Europe
07/05/2019
There’s hardly anyone who hasn’t dreamt of seeing Venice at least once in their life. St Mark’s Square, the Grand Canal, the Bridge of Sighs, the gondolas… Well, I’m proud to say I’ve seen them not once but twice. They say Venice is one of those destinations you either fall head over heels for or leave bitterly disappointed. Luckily, I’m in the first camp, and I really hope to go back.
I remember it as if it were yesterday – the feeling as we wandered through the narrow, illogical lanes of beautiful Venice, spellbound and quite literally lost for words. It’s no accident that the city has been named the most popular romantic destination not just in Europe but in the world. If you have someone to share the moment and the emotions with, the memory will surely last for ever. I came home inspired.
History
As well as being a world-famous romantic destination, Venice is a city with a thousand years of history. It lies in north-eastern Italy and is built on 117 small islands separated by canals and linked by hundreds of bridges. Interestingly, Venice is actually sinking a little more every year, so if you’re planning a visit, go as soon as you can.
The city began life in the 5th century AD as a fishing village, but it grew quickly. Can you imagine the engineering vision the city’s builders must have had back in the Middle Ages? It’s no wonder Venice is such an important and popular destination, and that everyone wants a taste of its magic.
From the 8th to the 12th century, Venice grew into a city-state, and its strategic location helped the whole region to flourish.
Two of the most famous Venetians are Marco Polo and Giacomo Casanova, who lived in different eras and had nothing in common, but who both helped make beautiful, captivating Venice famous around the world.
Where to stay
The best and most obvious option is to stay in one of the city’s beautiful, more upmarket hotels, especially if you’re travelling with your other half. From personal experience I can tell you that a hotel’s stars make a big difference – from the location and the service, to the view from your window in the morning, to the chocolates on your pillow after housekeeping has been round. Another option is to rent an apartment on Airbnb – for a discount, click HERE. Either way, bear in mind that there are no car parks in Venice proper, so you’ll have to leave your car in the new part of the city (if you’re driving your own car or a hire car).
Getting around the city is easy, as everything is within walking distance – unless you get lost, which you definitely will. This is a city where even the postmen get lost in the winding lanes. Don’t worry – even if you’ve no idea where you are, just keep going; you might stumble on a great spot for photos, as happened to us several times.
The symbols of Venice you mustn’t miss
St Mark’s Square
The square lies at the heart of Venice and is the largest and liveliest of the city’s dozens of squares. It’s without doubt one of the most famous squares in the city. Pretty much every lane and canal leads to St Mark’s. It’s also known for its cafés and the hundreds of pigeons on the square. Several of Venice’s top sights are on the square itself. One of them is the cathedral of the same name.
St Mark’s Basilica
St Mark’s Basilica is the grandest of Venice’s 129 churches. It stands on the square that shares its name, St Mark’s Square.
Interestingly, it’s half Christian church, half mosque.
In 829, when Venetian merchants stole the relics of St Mark the Evangelist from Egypt and brought them to Venice, the saint was declared the city’s patron, and three years later a basilica was consecrated in his honour.
For many years Venice was part of Byzantium, which is why the basilica’s architecture is reminiscent of many Orthodox churches. It’s also known as the Golden Church because of its rich decoration, its gold mosaics and the gold ornaments on its façade. It’s no coincidence that it served only the upper classes. Part of Dan Brown’s novel ‘Inferno’ is set in this very basilica. I recommend going inside despite the mile-long queue – it’s long for a reason. The basilica is incredible both inside and out.
St Mark’s Campanile
Standing around 100 metres tall, the bell tower is another enduring symbol of this famous square. It was built in 1514 on a 12×12-metre base and, as well as a bell tower, it served as a lookout post and a lighthouse. Make sure you go up to the top. From there you can see the whole city, along with the little islands around it that are part of Venice. The fee is 5 €.
The Bridge of Sighs
Maybe because Venice is such a romantic destination, I’d always imagined the Bridge of Sighs had some soppy love story behind its name, but it turns out I was way off. The bridge actually links the Doge’s Palace with the prison. It got its name because, as they crossed it, condemned prisoners took their last look at beautiful Venice and the sea, heaving a heavy sigh on their way to the cells.
The Doge’s Palace
Palazzo Ducale, or the Doge’s Palace, is a beautiful Gothic building you can’t miss, as it stands right where the Canale Grande meets the southernmost end of St Mark’s Square.
Doge is a title that comes from the Latin dux, meaning leader, and for more than 10 centuries it was held by the most powerful men in Venice. In other words, the doge was the head of state of what was then the city-state of Venice, with unlimited power. And he lived in unlimited luxury!
The Doge’s Palace is now a museum, which you can visit every day between 8:30 and 18:00. And if you do, I guarantee you’ll get a stiff neck from staring up at the gorgeous gilded ceilings.
The Grand Canal and the Rialto Bridge
From 1181, the Rialto was the only bridge over the Canale Grande; in 1255 the pontoon bridge was replaced with a wooden one, which in turn gave way to today’s stone bridge in 1591. The bridge forms a 7.5-metre-high arch that was hugely impressive for its time. Much like the Covered Bridge in Lovech, the Rialto is lined with dozens of little souvenir shops. It’s probably the most popular place to hire a gondola, and there are plenty of restaurants around where you can sit and enjoy the beautiful view.
Important! We all associate Italy with delicious food, but Italy doesn’t always mean pizza. In short – don’t eat pizza in Venice, or at least it’s best not to. All you’ll get is a cheap pizza you could just as easily make at home. The reason is that the stone ovens typical of Italian pizza are banned in Venice, so pizza is baked in an ordinary oven. You’re far better off going for the pasta.
The gondola
You haven’t really been to Venice if you haven’t been on a gondola. You can hire one just about anywhere, the main spots being around the Rialto Bridge and near St Mark’s Square. Prices vary, but it’s usually around 100 € – then again, it’s something you can’t do anywhere else in the world. There are over 400 gondolas in the city.
For the gondoliers who ply the city’s many canals, there are special rules of the road and even traffic signs. For example, motorboats, large and small, must keep to the right-hand side of the canals, while hand-rowed boats keep to the left.
Author
Vilislav Alkantara
Hello to all of you who love to travel not so much for the destination as for the journey itself.
Author
Vilislav Alkantara
Hello to all of you who love to travel not so much for the destination as for the journey itself.
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Balkan Nomad
Travels, stories, and inspiration from the road.
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