Allison O'Donoghue. Editor. Journalist. Travel Writer. Blogger. ABN: 49 619 105 040: Spectacular Venice

SPECTACULAR VENICE - VENEZIA

Gondolas

Story and photography by Allison O’Donoghue

Grand Canal

Rialto Bridge

Venice is comprised of 118 islands in a lagoon connected to the mainland of Mestre' by a very narrow low lying causeway. In flood there are no trains to St Lucia the main railway station on island of Venice, so owning a boat is essential. Venice is a labyrinth of small and large canals with endless bridges which can lead you anywhere and to very pleasant discoveries which are not in the tourist guidebooks. I recommend you get lost in Venice, you can always find your way back to the landmarks.

The heat hangs like a blanket as the train pulls into St Lucia railway station in Venezia. It is the beginning of the tourist season and already Venice is crowded. I am immediately awestruck and begin to drink in its rich history. Vivaldi, Casanova, Bellini, Marco Polo to name but a few, all lived and worked in Venice. The first film festival in the world was started here and now The Venice Film Festival is a major annual event along with The Biennale' and the world famous Carnivals.

Start at Ponte di Rialto in the centre which boasts spectacular views of the Canal Grande that winds through the city breaking up into six sections of waterways branching off the Grand Canal. So you could spend one day alone exploring all the little canals that branch off the bigger canals, it is endless and fascinating. If you get a knowledgable guide they can fill you in on the rich, gossipy history of Venice, of which there are plenty of salacious stories to tell.

The Grand Canal called the Canalazzo by the Venetians forms the main artery of the city, uniting and dividing the immense waterway. It is four kilometres long, ranging from thirty to sixty meters wide and has an average depth of five to six meters. It is called Grand as it is the largest of all the canals and is lined with magnificent palazzos built buy wealthy Venetians throughout the centuries.

Bridge of Sighs

The Bridge of Sighs - Ponte del Sospiri so named after the mournful groans of prisoners who crossed the bridge on their way to the internal prisons damp, mouldy cells.

I cross a new modern bridge, which leads to the major tourist attractions, through narrow corridors I head straight for the world famous Rialto Bridge, the Universal symbol of Venice together with the Campanile, the Doge’s Palace and the church of San Marco with its adjacent Piazza. Built in 1591 by Antonio Da Ponte, the Rialto is both a meeting point and access to San Marco Square and the best vantage point to watch the gondolas navigating the Grand Canal, dodging the speedboats while carefully avoiding the vortex created by the huge Liners. Venice cannot beat progress no matter how hard it tries. These Liners are their bread and butter, sustaining the

Venetians throughout the winter months. The hordes of tourists pouring off these ships create the revenue to sustain the city.

Basilica di San Marco

Doge Palazzo

San Marco Piazza

Most of the small shops built into the Rialto’s canopy sell trinkets, masks and souvenirs. The bridge is packed elbow deep with tourists jostling for position to watch the endless parade of boats on the canal. Murano glass, lace from Burano, tooled leather and hundreds of other articles stemming from the old civilization cannot be found here anymore. However, the endless shops lining the walkways to and from the Rialto and the Piazza sell the finest wares Venice has to offer at exaggerated prices. What the heck, may as well live, might not be back for years.

Rialto Bridge

I make my way to San Marco’s square, the historical and artistic heart of Venice. During the winter months the Piazza is under water causing no end of trouble for the locals and of great concern for the city council. How to stop the surge of water and rising tides that drown the square on a seemingly annual basis? Millions of Euros’ are poured in annually to quell the flow yet nothing has worked thus far, albeit, a multimillion-euro underwater system is soon to be operational. Lets hope it works. Venice is a city worth saving.

Rialto Bridge

San Marco Piazza

The extraordinary architecture in San Marco square range from Romanesque, Byzantine, Gothic, and Renaissance to Baroque and is awe-inspiring. This wondrous floating city is saturated in history.

When Napoleon strolled through San Marco’s Piazza he declared it was ‘the most beautiful salon in the whole of Europe’. The square is beautiful without a doubt. The grandiose character of the buildings surrounding the square evoke centuries of history, lined with elegant shops, old cafes and souvenir vendors. Because of its isolation, Venice is said to be the first city in the world to open up coffee houses. The Procuratie Nuove is covered with a huge canvas of Roger Federer selling a watch, cleverly camouflaging the scaffolding surrounding the building.

Urgent restoration

The Basilica of San Marco can be found at the end of the Grand Canal and forms a beautiful backdrop to the Piazza and is known as the Golden Basilica. Initiated in 829 by the nuns of the San Zaccaria Convent who built a garden in honour of their patron saint St. Mark, and from that day forth St Mark became the patron saint of Venice replacing St Theodore. The basilica was built between 1043 and 1070 and has evolved in ornamentation throughout every epoch, be it mosaics, sculptures or marble, making it more and more richly decorated. It is a stunning, extraordinarily opulent building.

Time for lunch, I head for one of the many restaurants overlooking the lagoon, directly in front of the magnificent Doge’s Palazzo along the Bank of Slavs and watch the gondolas rhythmically bob in the ocean. I have the best pasta dish of my life; truffle with basil cream and fettuccini, served with a simple green salad. Delectable! From here you can depart for Lido, the internationally celebrated Venetian island with a sandy beach that attracts the rich and famous, and hosts film festival events annually as well as the internationally world famous Casino.

Palazzo Ducale - Doge's Palace was once home to the Doge or Mayor of Venice, it is now an opulent museum - Veronese's Rape of Europa is among on of the many treasures of artwork houses in the museum. You'll have to line up early to get in as the queues for on for hours. Early morning might do the trick although San Marco Piazza is stunning at dusk as the sun goes down - the light is divine.

Back streets of Venice

For an authentic experience, I follow the locals and walk where they walk through the narrow alleyways crossing a labyrinth of ancient bridges. I’m glad I did. I happened upon a tiny bakery and indulged in divine coffee and delicious Italian pastry. It is worth getting lost in Venice to discover hidden treasures, little cafés, open operating wood-workshops, as music peels out of the beautiful grand palazzos creating a glorious ambience.

During my 4-day visit, I stay at a modest hotel on the mainland at Mestre’ - a 10-minute train ride to the island and half the price of accommodation in Venice. I discovered great takeaway Venetian food, very good meals at local prices from the cafeteria at St Lucia station. I often sat on the steps, eating my delicious meal watching water taxis and small ferry’s pick up the locals, returning home from a days work on the mainland.

Awaiting customers

A gondola ride will set you back 90 euro which is worth the ride but also try a water taxi for at 6.50 which takes you all around the island dropping off locals to their magnificent palazzos and taking you back to the main terminal. Worth a ride however it doesn't quite compare to a winding gondola ride through the canals, large and small.

I want to get inside one of these majestic palazzos for a good look, but alas, it is not be. Catch the ferry from the Fondamente Nuove to visit the island of Murano, the largest on the lagoon and like Venice, consists of small islets separated by canals.

And of course Murano is famous for the art of glassmaking since 1292. Originally only glassmakers inhabited the island along with their families to ensure the secrets of their techniques were never divulged. If someone spilled the beans then it was incarceration, or even death. Now the secret ingredient is out: seaweed is the magical element to the Murano glassware success story. It is hellishly expensive to buy Murano glass on Venice and I was very tempted, but I didn't surrender to my urges. Its a long way to travel to Australia and no guarantee my goods would arrive in tact. While your there visit the island of Burano where the ancient art of lace making is still practised today.

Venice was once the most important trading ports in Europe and the place that invented banking by the Jews in the Jewish Ghetto, which you can still visit today. In 1516 the Doge forced Venice's Jewish population into the old cannon-foundry area thereby creating the first Jewish ghetto in Europe and coining the word Ghetto which is the Venetian word for 'foundry'. The area's oldest synagogue is located in the Campo del Ghetto Nuovo next to the Hebrew Museum of Venice - Museo Ebraica di Venezia.

Venice Tourist Office - 274 76 50
VeneziaSi - 800 843 006
Budget Travel - www.cts.it

Grand Canal

Venice is slowly decaying but all efforts are being made to restore its wooden foundations and crumbling buildings to retain its unique heritage. Plenty to keep you occupied with galleries, museums, theatres, workshops, churches, beautiful hotels, endless cafes and restaurants. Never a dull moment. You can also observe ongoing excavations in Venice as archaeologists unearth more ancient treasures.

Venice is the most romantic city in the world and is spectacularly beautiful. Everyone needs to visit this unique city at least once in there lifetime.