Day 126 of international places giving smiles – Remembering Romantic Venice and colourful Burrano in Italy
So much has been written about this unique city of Venice that I don’t know where to begin. Barbarian invasions had forced the initial inhabitants of sailors to take refuge in the islands. Because of its strategic location on the Adriatic Sea, it was an important centre for trading with the East. Till the 1700’s the Venetian Republic was ruled by the Doges(Dukes). In 1797 Napoleon took over.
It was subsequently ruled by a complicated system of Councils and Committees. People spied on one another and there was suspicion in the air. If any trader changed his profession or if anyone was blamed, then they were dealt with swiftly and brutally. People would just disappear from the scene and suddenly his body would be found floating in the waters!
Marco Polo was a resident of Venice who travelled to the East. Vivaldi who composed the ‘four seasons’ music was from Venice. Palladio is a famous architect who worked in this city.
The Venetian Carnival is held every February where huge crowds of people sing and dance around wearing masks. In fact there is a historical story behind the popular white mask with the big eagle shaped nose, doctors filled this mask with herbs to protect themselves during an epidemic of plaque that was prevalent in Venice.
However Venice is not the same as before. There are many structures that have been built on wooden piles over the waters. Time and again, during the high tides, Venice gets continually flooded and water has to be drained out by the authorities. It is now a very popular tourist centre with more than 20 million visitors every year, being catered to by around only 50,000 locals.
There are around 240 islands in the Venetian Lagoon Region. Venice itself has around 117 islands, 400 bridges and 150 canals. Waterways are the preferred modes of travel and the local water bus is called the ‘vaporetto’. It is extremely expensive to stay in a hotel in Venice itself, so most of the hotels are situated in the mainland region called Mestre which is around 3 kms away from the city of Venice.
We unpacked at our hotel Pompeii and I was very excited to see a huge shopping centre just next to it. We went to the supermarket and I picked up an adidas skirt and socks at the sportswear shop. We relaxed eating Indian food alone in our room. We have definately become older now, we would like to relax at the first opportunity that we have! Besides we had seen the place before and I don’t get much variety in the optional vegetarian dinners.
As for the kids they had gone for their first night out in Venice. Our tour guide Janos had told us that the difference between Venice by night and Venice by day is the crowds. They can make Venice seem like heaven or hell…a point that I fully endorse. I was reminded of my first impression Venice five years ago when I was shocked at the huge crowds that we saw during the peak August season in Venice.
Sid and Shigi went first by coach from the mainland Mestre along a road bridge that connected the mainland to Venice. The lights on this bridge were initially on either side of the road, but it led to confusion among the pilots who mistook it for a runway of the nearby international Marco Polo airport. So now there are only one set of lights on the middle of this connecting road.
The waterway stop called Tronchetto is the place where coaches can park .Here the kids were greeted with a bustling market selling all kinds of stuff. The XXX-rated pictures on the aprons screamed for attention, a scene that was visible only in Italy. The 3 kms ride in the private motor boat along the Giudecca Canal had Janos talking in detail about most of the structures on the way.
We had heard of the European Gothic or Baroque style of architecture, but trade contact with the East led Venice to develop its own style of architecture- the blending of the Byzantine round domes and Islamic minarets along with the European Gothic Arches and Quatrefoils! The motorboat ride along the canal gave a splendid overview of Venetian Architecture with its churches, public buildings and private villas! Shringar was amused at the sight of the Spinsters church where eligible girls pray to get a good husband!
The kids first alighted at the Riva Degli, the long embankment where most of the boats land in Venice. Then they first stood on the Ponte Della Paglia bridge and gazed at the Bridge of Sighs a passageway built from the palace to the prison, named so, on account of the prisoners sighing as they were led to the trial. Next they walked around the Doges palace that was once home to Venice’s rulers. Janos told them not to walk between the 2 pillars where numerous public hangings used to take place and their spirits might still be wandering!
The facade of the Bascillica of St. Marks was covered with mosaic pictures. The Campanile bell Tower kept ringing majestically by the hour. They were mesmerised by the beauty of the St. Marks square that was lit up in the night.
It’s no wonder the St. Marks square has been described by Napolean as the most elegant drawing room of Europe!
Because of the cold weather and the rain there were no musicians playing in the square. Otherwise this is a place where there is a continuous celebration with song and dance of life itself! The kids had a four course Italian meal at a local restaurant. Shringar was surprised at the variety of good Italian vegetarian food that she got. The Italian waiter gave her and her friend Nathania some extra attention!
They then walked upto the Rialto bridge with Janos, taking in as many sights as possible and listening to his continuous commentary about the place. The motorboat ride and coachride back to the hotel Pompeii at the mainland made it a memorable night out for them. I was sleepy when the kids returned back to their room safe and sound around midnight.
On Friday 11th April 2008 I got up with mixed feelings. Today was the first day of the trip where I would be visiting a place that I had been before. I only remember the crowds, the heat, the narrow roads, the dirty waterways of my last visit to Venice. I felt that after all the hype, Venice was a disappointing experience for me last time…I wonder what Venice has in store for me today?
We parked our coach at the bus station, walked across the market of Tronchetto, waited in line for our turn for the motorboat. We admired a multi-coloured piece of art – a wooden board with colorful bits of used chewing gum stuck on it—grose yet pretty!
It was colder than I had imagined, both husband and me were in similar peach-coloured T-shirts. Our ride on the Guidecco canal was a repetition. At the impressive bronze monument of Victor Emmanual, we met our local Italian Guide who was a character by himself. He belonged to the old school of thought…as he regaled us on the glorious history of the various structures on St. Marks Square, he kept expressing his horror at the commercialization of Venice.
He told us that the symbol of Venice is that of a winged lion holding a book. We saw this sculpture at many places, if the book was closed it meant that the country was at war at time, if the book was open it meant that the country was not at war.
The glass making demonstration at the glass factory was a repetition from last time. Shringar’s bag brushed past the expensive murano glass displayed on the show-cases, I shudder to think what would have happened if she had broken any of them. Thank you God for saving us unnecessary expenses!
The open square was crowded as usual and was surprised to see one of my Bangalore Wilson Manor neighbour here, my friend Rajani’s husband-Satya. Originally St. Theoric was the patron saint of Venice, however later St. Mark – the Evangelist became the patron saint of Venice.
Our first interior visit was to the St. Marks Bascillica which is Europes best example of a blend of architectural styles of the West and the East. Each of the five huge domes tell a divine story by itself. There are numerous statues crowning the Central Arch. The exteriors of the Bascillica are adorned by countless treasures from their overseas empire. Copies of 4 bronze statues brought from Constantinople adorn the entrance arch. Besides a wealth of columns, Romanesque carvings, bas reliefs and coloured marbles are studded across the main facade.
As we enter the place, we are raptured by the intricately done mosaic work done on each of the five doorways. One of the interior 17th century mosaic facade shows the smuggling of the body of St. Mark. It is said that St. Mark was initially buried in Alexandria in Egypt, but his followers smuggled his body under slices of pork past Muslim guards and brought later to Venice. I don’t remember entering the St. Marks Bascillica last time (probably because of the huge lines outside) and I am so glad that I repeated this visit. I remember walking down the narrow galleys, but I don’t even remember standing on the lively Rialto bridge.
The Gondolas of Venice have to strictly adhere to a particular design in terms of length, width, material used, etc. At the front of the Gondola, there is a metal piece that has 6 notches pointing forward representating each of the 6 divisions of Venice and 1 notch pointing backwards representating the Guidecco canal. The Cosmos optional tour of the 6 people in a Gondola ride cost 38 Euro per head. Instead we bargained for a 4 people in a Gondola ride for only 15 Euro per head!
Our handsome Gondola boatman sang traditional romantic sounding Italian songs for us, he sang even as husband tried to sing romantically for me in front of our grown up amused kids in the Gondola. Our charming boatman pointed out to many churches and opera halls on the way as we waded through the narrow waterways of Venice. In this lovely serene ambience, he took us through the quieter side of Venice and without seeing the crazy crowds the Gondola ride was indeed an unforgettable experience of Venice.
Italian men are very charming. Our boatman pointed out to the house of the famous philanderer Casanova who in his own diaries admitted to sleeping with at least 1000 women in his life and later escaped from jail by befriending the jailors daughter! Daughter admitted that she could be mesmerized by the charms of the Italian man, I reminded her that I would be happier to see a ‘South Kanara Brahmin Italian-looking man’!
At one of the bridges we were witness to a chase between the police and an African looking man who sells fake designer bags in the streets of Venice…we were warned not to buy this fake stuff. The police came from two different directions and caught him just in front of us!
Gellato ice cream, masks, souvenirs, pigeon feeding, admiring Doges Palace and Bell tower – all this and more made up for my past disappointment of Venice. I now realized why this place is considered truly romantic and special for lovers…I loved being in Venice with my loving family.
BURRANO (colourful houses, lace) Along with Venice there are many other islands in the Venetian Lagoon region and a cruise to the other surrounding island is a must in the itinerary of the tourist. So we bid goodbye to Venice in our motorboat and we looked forward to seeing other Islands of the Venetian lagoon.
Janos points out to us in the distance the Island of St. Giorgio Maggiore. He tells us that these are the quieter, non- commercial parts that are worth a visit. We pass the public gardens and the beaches of the Island of Lido. Though we saw a demonstration of glass making in Venice in the morning, due to safety concerns, the glass making factories are not located in Venice but in theIsland of Murano which we saw in the distance. This is how the expensive golden carved Murano glass had got its name. In the distance, Janos also pointed out the Island of Torcella. We could see the facade of the Cathedral and the church of St. Fosca.
As we approach the picturesque Island of Burrano we almost laugh at the riot of vibrant colours that scream for attention. Legend has it that the local fishermen would come home drunk in the evenings and would not be able to identify their houses. So the fishermen’s wives painted each house in a unique bright colour combination. We were amazed at the crazy combinations. eg. I took a photo in front of a house that had bright yellow walls, bright blue doors and bright red windows. Next to it were green and purple and brown houses. We walked towards the end of the island which was the peaceful residential area. We met Janos there who was happy that we came this far to explore the small island.
Another thing that Burrano is famous for is the exquisitely made lace items. We went to a lace emporium where we saw a very old lady actually making lace. However this is a dying art, there are very few lacemakers left in Buranno.
Janos asked us to try out the local hard bread that is almost like a biscuit called ‘Briscella’. We are supposed to dip it into the local wine and have it together…it had some unique taste. This is what I like about Janos…he doesn’t just talk about the place, he makes us experience the place! He describes each place as if it is the best place in the world.
I searched a lot for some good local souvenir. Shringar paid 1 Euro to use the only public toilet in the island, the doors open only with a coin, you can sit inside for only 20 minutes, otherwise your toilet door will automatically open by itself! In India we would not even think of paying Rs. 63 just to use the toilet!
At the motorboat ride on the way back I spoke a lot with Dorotha the apprentice from Finland who was learning to become atour Dirctor. She told me that more than knowledge about the place, people skills matter the most when doing the work of a tour guide. After the coach ride back to the Hotel Pompeii, we were surprised to be treated to the only buffet dinner on our tour with unlimited wide variety even for the vegetarians!
So what place made you smile today?
Be thankful for the places that make you smile!
Recent Comments