Daydream your way through Venice’s picturesque canals as Marco Roberto Ascione walks us through his beautiful home town
It’s almost impossible to describe how special, unique and marvelous Venice is, not only because it is a city that was born a thousand years ago, but also because of the peaceful and romantic lifestyle of its people.
Imagine now that you are sitting down with me in Piazza San Marco, the most famous piazza—or public square—in Venice. It is five o’clock in the afternoon and we are sipping Bellinis—cocktails with peaches and Italian sparkling wine, or prosecco—in the oldest café in Italy, Il Caffè Florian. The orchestra nearby is playing the traditional music of Vivaldi and Albinoni. The sun starts to set, and wind is embracing the Piazza. On all sides of the piazza are the Procuratie, three buildings that were built to house the procurators—or officers of San Marco who held the second most prestigious appointment in the Republic of Venice, second only to the Doge, or chief magistrate.
We see the pigeons start to come back and eat the corn that is scattered all day long by people visiting the square—a technique employed by tourists trying to capturing that perfect pigeon shot in front of the Basilica. The piazza is bursting with color, and there are tourists from all over the world speaking in so many different languages.
We admire the Campanile—the bell tower of St. Mark’s Basilica—which rises to a staggering height of 101 meters. On top of the belfry is a fantastic golden sculpture of an angel—specifically, the archangel Gabriel—which sits on the spire and serves as a weathervane. First added to the Campanile in 1513, the weathervane is one of the first examples of a metereological device. It is romantic to imagine that, for almost five hundred years, the face of this angel has been showing the Venetian people whether it will rain or not.
Then, we walk to the Torre Dell’Orologio, or St. Mark’s Clocktower. On top of the torre is a bronze sculpture of two figures—one old man and one younger man wearing sheepskins and carrying bats—who are believed to symbolize the passage of time. The Mori—or Moors, as they are nicknamed because of the dark patina of the bronze—start to beat the bell, telling us that it is already six o’clock in the evening. As we walk to the right side of Piazza San Marco, we admire the majestic Laguna di Venezia—the Venetian Lagoon—with a breathtaking view of San Giorgio Island right in front of us.
But the most beautiful building in sight is the Doge’s Palace. Also called the Palazzo Ducale, the palace was the seat of government in the Republic of Venice for centuries, housing the various political institutions of the city-state. The Doges of Venice—from Paolo Lucio Anafesto, who presided in 697 AD, to Ludovico Nanin who in 1789 was forced to abdicate by Napoleon’s invasion of Italy—were elected for life by the aristocracy and ruled their people from the Palazzo. Looking at the building’s majestic façade made of pink and white marble, we start to forget that we are in the Twentieth Century. We are transported by our daydreams back to the Seventeenth Century, where Venice was la Porta d’Oriente—the Door to the Orient. During this era, Venice was the meeting place of merchants, artists, nobles and members of high society. Glamorous events were held in the extraordinary palazzi. Conti, Baroni, Princesses, the richest and most famous people of that century—they would all pay any price to appear in the amazing carnevale.
Now, I will bring you in front of Danieli Hotel, which, along with Cipriani and Gritti, is probably one of the best hotels in Venice. Here, a gondola is located and we will go for a ride. This antique boat—a flat-bottomed rowing boat—can accommodate not more than six passengers. We start to move from the Laguna and turn into one of the small Venetian canals. The first building that we see is the famous Ponte dei Sospiri or Bridge of Sighs. The bridge is so named because it connects the Doge’s Palace with the old prison chambers and is thus the last view of Venice that the convicts would see before they are incarcerated, causing them to sigh as they walk across it. This bridge is included in the guided Itinerari Segreti or Secret Itinerary tour of the Doge’s Palace. If you have time, I highly suggest you take this tour and visit the torture chambers and other mysterious rooms that normally not open to visitors.
An old Venetian legend says that when you ride in a gondola and pass under the Bridge of Sighs, you must kiss your partner. If you do, you and your partner will be granted with eternal love. Perhaps this isn’t really true, but it certainly creates a very romantic moment. You can also ask the gondoliere—the driver of the gondola—to sing something for you and your loved ones as he rows the boat through the canals. They’re not the most famous singers in Venice, but all of them seem to have an impressive tenor singing voice. It also helps that they’re usually very charming. It makes for a pleasant relaxing moment where you can laugh and forget all your problems.
We turn into one small canal after another and pass other gondolas along the way. We see people standing in the bridges, all waving and calling out “Ciao!” to us. We smile, wave and say “Ciao!” back. Finally, we exit into the Canal Grande, or Grand Canal, which divides Venice into two parts. Excitement fills the air as we pass other gondolas and overhear the serenaders with their accordions and guitars. It’s almost like watching a series of free concerts by different performers, singing old Venetian songs and famous Italian arias.
Our gondoliere rows us closer and closer to one of the most beautiful man-made structures in the world: the Ponte di Rialto, or Rialto Bridge. Perhaps the most visited and most photographed bridge in Venice, the Rialto was the only way to cross the Grand Canal on foot for almost three hundred years. This bridge has a noticeably higher arch than most of the other bridges because it was first constructed at a time when galley ships still passed through the canal. The first versions of the bridge were made of wood, but it collapsed several times and had to be rebuilt. Once, it buckled under the weight of spectators watching a boat parade along the canal; another time, a part of it was destroyed during a revolt led by a Venetian noble who had planned an unsuccessful conspiracy to overthrow the reigning Doge. The stone bridge that stands today was completed in 1591 and bears great similarities with the original wooden bridge.
We disembark the gondola in the Riva del Ferro, the embankment to the right of the Ponte di Rialto. We order the famous spritz, a concoction of water, soda, white wine, Campari and big green olives. We drink it while snacking on some salatini—pica-pica, or finger food. We remember to offer one to our gondoliere.
After this quick refreshment, its time to continue our journey across the Grand Canal. We admire the Municipio (the Mayor’s Palace) and the Palazzo Pisani Moretta (one of the most famous palaces where prestigious carnival events are hosted). We reach the Ponte dell’Accademia—translated as the Academy Bridge—which is named for the Galleria dell’Accademia, the museum gallery on the south bank of the Grand Canal. The Accademia contains pre-Nineteenth Century artwork by Venetian masters, including the Vitruvian Man—the world-famous pen-and-ink drawing of a male figure in two superimposed positions encased in a square and a circle—by Leonardo da Vinci. Da Vinci spent some years of his life in Venice working as a military architect and engineer.
We arrive in front of Salute. The Basilica di Santa Maria della Salute—translated as the Basilica of Saint Mary of Health—is a Roman Catholic church. It is known as one of the four great “Plague-churches” of Venice, built as a way of combating a wave of pestilence that, in 1629, swept across Venice and killed nearly a third of its population. In the Seventeenth Century, building churches was believed to be the best way to protect a city from an epidemic, and so the Venetian Senate decreed for a church to be built and dedicated to the Virgin Mary. The plague eventually subsided, and the Senate stayed true to its pledge, building the church on a narrow strip of land on the banks of the Grand Canal. In gratitude, the city also started holding a feast, called the Festa della Madonna della Salute or Feast of the Presentation of the Virgin, in which officials parade from Saint Mark’s Basilica to Salute. It continues to be celebrated annually on the 21st of November.
Little by little, we move back towards San Marco, admiring the parkland—called the Napoleonic Gardens, Public Gardens, or simply the giardini—and the Molo, a broad stone quay thought of as the front door of the city because it traditionally served as the ceremonial “landing spot” for arriving officials and distinguished guests. We make our way back to the Piazza through the Piazetta—the walkway beside the Doge’s Palace that connects the south side of the Piazza to the waterway of the Laguna. From the Piazzetta, we catch a glimpse of the panoramic view of Venice and its lagoon, whose water has the intense color of green emerald and a lot of waves that can put in trouble our stability in the gondola. Thanks to our trusty gondolier, we have safely arrived back at the station were we started our wonderful trip.
It is true that only in Venice can you have a romantic experience. Here, love is your witness and all that you see, hear, smell, taste and touch all around you feels different and unique. Perhaps, one day, Venice will indeed disappear and sink into the sea like Atlantis, but they can never erase my town. If the world is a cake, then, for sure, Venice is the cherry on top of it.
Later tonight, I will take you out for a delicious dinner, perhaps in Ristorante Do Forni, or in Ristorante da Raffaele. Here, you can taste an authentic Venetian fish dinner. Tomorrow, I will take you to Murano, the island of the glass, and then to Burano, the island of lace. We will visit Torcello, Venice’s oldest island.
Tomorrow is another day. Tonight, while you sleep, try to remember all of the moments from this day, when you felt what it’s like to be a citizen of the most marvelous city in the world, Venezia.
