Venice is Exotic

I like to travel to other countries but don't often make repeat visits to the places I go to. So as a I had,as a nine year old boy visited Venice just after World War Two, it was no surprise that I hadn't made a return visit. Finally I went with my wife and was enchanted. Now I dream of one day buying an apartment and spending loads and loads of time there. I was also tempted to write about visiting Venice. So if you feel like it, make yourself comfortable and sit back with a drink and read on

Going for a short break? 'Have you ever been to Venice', a silly question, but you have started reading so you’ve fancied the idea, but then … it is not so silly a question because like many you haven’t. The grandeur, culture, spectacular building, piazzas, and the maze of canals weaving amongst the buildings and under the bridges; if you’re not tempted by them, then you are not a traveller, not an aficionado of the beauty of beautiful cities. If you haven’t been then you should go, it should not be missed, it should be top of the list for your next break away from mediocrity.

This is a city to be savoured by the fortunate, with its exotic culture. The allure of so much beauty contained in one place should not be neglected. An over the top introduction, yes, but justified. Often you, the reader, will leave it for the next time, don’t.

So where should you start. Book your flight to the ‘Marco Polo’ airport; you land right on the water front. Then take the taxi or ‘vaporetto’ to the Zaccaria or San Marco jetty, walk

through St Marks Square and into the sestriere, the area, of Castello Ovest. Select a hotel somewhere within a stone’s throw of the Piazza San Marco, possibly halfway between the Piazza and the Rialto Bridge.

Find a small hotel, of which there are myriads. Many are hundreds of years old but wonderfully modernised. The question is how do you find such a hotel; before you leave for Venice look on the internet, and if you haven’t a computer then go to a computer café and ask somebody how, there are several excellent web sites that will give you plenty of details. Most hotels in the Castello Ovest district are nestled amongst the craft shops that crowd the old calle’s, the narrow lanes that abound with wonderful restaurants serving good food, all within walking distance. You are about to have your senses assailed with so much history that you need to become part of it, to literally drink and eat a fascinating culture of love and beauty; to stay outside the center is to miss part of the cities heartbeat.

Everything is changing, the ‘serenissima’ loved by the Venetians will disappear as they leave to make way for the tourists. Hurry, there is still time to take a ‘gondola’ trip early in the evening with your loved one, to have ‘Casanovas’ house pointed out to you, and imagine him leaping from his gondola and vaulting over the balustrade into his home pursued by an irate husband.

The gondolas painted in traditional colours weave their way along the canals, the houses standing in the water, the foundations in many places are frayed by the tides of centuries. The facades are sometimes faded, the surface crumbling, others have been recently painted and the evening sun paints a glorious technicolour picture as you turn each corner, your gondolier calling out a warning to traffic coming from the other direction. If you agreed a fair price your gondolier will usually take you out onto the Grand Canal where you can see the ‘Ponte di Rialto’. Designed by Antonio Ponte in the sixteenth century it is a bridge of souvenir shops and in the peak season is packed with tourists.

The next day when back on foot exploring the many narrow lanes, and crossing back and forth over the small bridges, do take the opportunity to cross over the Rialto, and then go to the market and shop like a Venetian in the fruit and vegetable market, or buy some flowers, look at the fish stalls but possibly not a good choice of purchase to take back to your hotel room.

Remember this was the central harbour of old Venice and is alive with the exotic history of the streets. Stop for tapas at one of the ‘bacari’, the local bars, try the plump prawns or bite into a ‘panino’ of ham or cheese

Later you can shop for your souvenir, leave your hotel a little earlier than you need and look for the mask shops in the narrow lanes, the ‘maschere e costumi’.

Go in and talk with the owner, learn how the shop has been with the family for generations, how his mother designed this mask, and his aunt another, admire the multitude of masks, fascinating designs and colours, the black and white mask that covers half the face and is called a ‘baúta’, then you can buy your souvenir from the family that made it.

Next stop the restaurants for your evening meal, these will offer a range to suit all tastes. Antipasti! you will never taste antipasti to rival the restaurants of Venice, now you will understand why the fish market was so varied: thin slices of tuna, monkfish, scampi with a dressing of olive oil and balsamic vinegar, this is antipasti to dream about. Then the pastas of Italy, but such pastas, and the Parmesan cheese to grate on them.

Onto the wild duck, and the Carpaccio, thin slice of raw beef also with Parmesan, it’s a gastronomic adventure, be bold. Your visit has started with the vibrant heart of the city, the living part of the Venetian people. Dinner served by candlelight on a waterside terrace or in a secluded passageway, at the top of quaint iron steps on a small balcony looking down into a charming little square, a campiello. Now you are beginning to feel the pulse of Venice.

Next day, early, take the ‘vaporetto’, the local water bus, a No1 will take you the length of the Grand Canal and you can see Venice from the water for a few euros. The bustle of this waterway will take your breath away. If you are there for the first Sunday in September then you will have to take your place on the canal terraces, find a good place to watch as the Historical Regatta takes over the Grand Canal starting at the Bacino di San Marco. The Palaces hang banners from their windows and balconies and the gondoliers wear magnificent costumes, the procession is a splendid sight. There are other processions on other days, but if you miss them don’t worry the Grand Canal is always a grand procession.

You can pass under the ‘Bridge of Sighs’ on a gondola trip, but if you didn’t, and it’s normal not to go in that direction? Then remember when you visit the ‘Palazzo Ducale’ the Doges Palace; and the ‘Palazzo Ducale’ is one place you must not miss, half price if you are over that certain age, but you must ask. So remember when you visit the ‘Palazzo,’ then make sure you cross over it.

The Bridge of Sighs that is, and then visit the dungeons. Not a pleasant place, different to the Palace, but even Casanova spent some time there as a resident. Viewed from the lagoon it is impressive, viewed from the Riva Degli Schiavoni or the Piazzetta its outstanding Gothic architecture, with its graceful loggia and arcade supporting the towering upper levels is overpowering but you have to go inside to find the real splendour of the palace Again the question, ‘where to start’, well go up the ‘Scala d’Oro an impressive staircase leading to the ‘Doges Apartments’, rooms devoted to paintings by the Venetian School, and if you don’t like art, and not everybody does, then keep going. Be impressed by the ceilings, by the room of the maps of the world, but keep going until the armoury, surely the amazing pieces on display must cause some excitement

Bridge of Sighs in the background

Then when you’ve had your fill of the arts for one day come out into the Piazza San Marco. Push through the bustle of the crowds that throng the square during the day. Let’s try something different, we can go to the Basilica tomorrow, so we turn our back on it and head off down the right side of the square, half way down we turn into the side streets and soon come to another museum, and here we find the secret libertine side of the ‘serenissima’, the Museo D’Arte Erotica. Half price for students, and after a bit of persuading, half price for grey haired oldies, you will have found a little window into the life of Casanova and the courtesans of years gone by.

Venice is not expensive; true you can pay exorbitant prices for everything but you can everywhere in the world it’s just a case of avoiding the tourists traps. But one trap is hard to avoid, you must have coffee or drinks in San Marco square, it’s traditional. Here you can sit and listen to the music in the evening sipping a coffee. There are always plenty of seats even at the Caffe Florian, and plenty of beautiful people, all listening to the music.

Now the square is not crowded but pleasantly busy, most strolling between the cafés, standing to listen to the music.

We were innocents and sat down; two coffees at 7.80 euros each were a bit steep but then it’s a tradition to visit the cafés. The bill puzzled me at first, 26.60 euros; then the reason for standing became apparent, 5.50 euros each for the music. But we went back another evening and sat down again, I do hate standing. But as I said it’s a case of avoiding the tourist traps, you’re welcome to stand.

Souvenirs are always a must wherever you go in the world, and earlier I tried pushing you into buying masks, but there are other traditional buys. Near our hotel the company of Pauly & C. were demonstrating the famous Murano glass of Venice; I hasten to add, recently of Venice. The last of the workshops has moved out to Murano a group of islands nearby which are easily reached by vaporetto or water taxi.

Now they will only be selling their glass products in what originally were their workshops. The glass manufactures of Venice were in 1291 told to move out of Venice following another devastating fire started in the glass works. They still

shipped their glass through, what was then, the main harbour at Rialto hence it often still being referred to as Venetian glass. It’s been a slow process moving out, very slow, and now Venetian glass is really Murano glass but it is a worthy souvenir.

Have I wetted your desire to visit Venice, I hope so, did I leave anything out! Actually I never got started; the city has so much to show you, so much to give that I would be egotistical to attempt to describe everything, there is so much. YOU MUST GO.