Friday morning Ana Rose and I awoke early to catch the 8:30ish train to Venice. After the 25 minute trek to the station, we found out that the train was sold-out already. So we headed back (all uphill!) to Stella’s and waited until the 11ish train. After all this walking with our weekend backpacks on, we felt like we needed showers, but good thing we waited because the trip to Venice was extremely hot since the trains were not air-conditioned. Unfortunately since we missed the early train, we had to take the very long journey, with an hour “layover” in Florence. The train cars were like ovens in the 100 degree weather, so by the time we arrived in Venice a little after 4pm, we were dripping wet. Although we were a little bummed that we could have been there a little after noon had we made reservations for the early train, you live and learn! Plus, we met a very nice lady on the train who told us about a festival happening in Venice this weekend (more on this later!) and informed us what authentic Venetian food to try (i.e. calamari, mussels, and clams). So by 4:30, we were in the middle of St. Mark’s Square in awe. We still had our backpacks on and hadn’t checked into our hotel yet, but we couldn’t wait any longer to see Venice’s landmarks. St. Mark’s Basilica was incredibly impressive and huge! It was beautiful, especially with the Grand Canal running behind it. I was surprised at how large St. Mark’s Square was too (about two football fields long). Not only was it filled with people (Venice is always crowded but especially so this weekend because of the festival) and pigeons were very abundant too! After taking in all of St. Mark’s Square, including the grand Torre dell’Orologio (Clock Tower) with bronze men called Moors swinging clappers to ring the bell every hour, we ventured to find our hotel. Thankfully, we had Rick Steve’s guide to lead us to the hotel because Venice is very, very confusing. Over the course of the weekend, Ana Rose and I managed to get lost multiple times even though we were frequenting some of the same places. Yes, we both do have bad senses of direction, but the streets are also tiny and curving every which way with no understandable cut-throughs. Plus, there are bridges and canals to contend with too! But we made it to our hotel successfully, and the lobby was very nice with a window looking out over a canal. However, “hotel” is a loose term because our room was on the fourth floor in a tiny room with no air-conditioning. (We shared a bathroom with the floor.) So with heat rising and no air flow, it was yet another oven! Thankfully, we did have a small fan. Heat and trying in vain to escape it was a large part of the weekend because it’s the hottest summer that Venice has experienced in twenty-ish years! After taking a cold shower (the shower actually didn’t have hot water but it definitely didn’t matter) and resting for a little bit after our journey, Ana Rose and I headed out to find a place for dinner. We found a place called Gigi’s and took the advice we were given and had calamari, mussels, etc. – mine over risotto and Ana Rose’s over pasta.
Then came the highlight of the day and a very special surprise from my parents who emailed me and said they wanted to treat Ana Rose and I to a gondola ride! We bartered down the price and increased the time of the ride and got a wonderful gondolier named Stefano (he was excited we had similar names!) to take us around the canals for a 40ish minute trip. Venice looked so beautiful at night, with the canals light by the moon (Ana Rose and I kept joking how romantic Venice is supposed to be). Plus it was a much cooler evening than the day, so it was an extremely enjoying ride! Stefano told us about his family and how his father was a gondolier too, and he pointed out notable sights around the city. It was definitely the perfect way to see the city and appreciate all of the canals. Afterwards, we headed to St. Mark’s Square and took in all of its beauty at night with all of the lights. Since it was the weekend of the festival, a stage was set up at the far end of the square and an opera performance was put on. Although you had to pay to sit and see the opera, it was all outside so the square was filled with people enjoying the music reverberating throughout the square. Ana Rose and I sat and listened/watched the lights of the stage since the singers were a little too small to see. It felt so Italian right in the middle of St. Mark’s Square!
Saturday morning, we woke up early to beat the crowds of tourists. We had free breakfast provided by our hotel – though by breakfast, I mean several bread rolls spread with nutella. We went to St. Mark’s Basilica and got in line around 9:15 to be one of the first in when the doors opened a little before 9:45. It was perfect timing because we beat all of the tour groups and were able to walk around the church without it being too crowded. Inside was, as expected, very impressive! It was huge and the entire ceiling and walls were covered in tiny pieces of gold and colored mosaics. There were scenes depicting stories from the Bible including Noah and the flood, the Last Supper, and the Pentecost. Each piece of tile was cut in irregular shapes to reflect the light, and the mosaics truly sparkled. Sunbeams shined through the windows of the front dome, illuminating the scenes as well. Even the floor was a mosaic in intricate patterns and multi-colored.
Afterwards, we took a waterbus to Murano. It was about a 20 minute trip past several islands off of Venice. It was so interesting seeing how Venice operates like a city on the water, with water taxis and buses running on schedules. Murano is known for its glassmaking, so the first thing we did when we arrived was see a glassblowing/making demonstration for free in one its several glassmaking shops. It was so interesting seeing how quickly and flawlessly they could turn a piece of flaming red glass into a vase. Then, we saw glass be molded into a colorful horse. During the demonstration, we met a family with five adorable (and well-behaved) children who had been on our waterbus, and we palled around with them during our time in Murano. After the demonstration, we were led into their shop in hopes of us purchasing something. Not everyone was led up to the large exhibition – we only got to go because the family we were with was really looking to buy something. It was incredible seeing all of the glass sculptures, lamps, vases etc. that had been made and how colorful and intricate it all was (and how expensive). It was like a museum tour. Ana Rose and peaked in other shops afterwards then got paninis to eat outside in the shade before catching the waterbus back to Venice. On the trip back, I stood outside so I could feel the breeze and take in the views as we approached Venice.
Our next stop was to Doge’s Palace, in St. Mark’s Square. Doge’s Palace (aka Palazzo Ducale) was the seat of the Venetian government and home to the duke for 400 years. It was grand and impressive with a 24 karat gold ceiling above the steps leading up to the rooms. The whole palace is filled with paintings and artwork, and some of the notable ones were Tintoretto’s “Triumph of Venice” depicting Lady Venice and Tintoretto’s “Paradise,” the largest oil painting in the world. It is over the duke’s throne and shows Christ and Mary surrounded by 500 saints. The story is that the day Tintoretto finished the painting, his daughter died, so he painted in a 501st saint, resembling his daughter, right in front of Mary. There were also many paintings by Veronese. The most impressive room of the palace was the Hall of the Grand Council, which is 175 feet x 80 feet and holds 2,600 people. Lining the room are portraits of all of the dukes, but one is blacked out because he opposed the will of the Grand Council and was beheaded! Out of the window in this room is a gorgeous view of Venice’s waters. The Doge’s Palace then leads into the prisons and the Bridge of Sighs, so called because as the prisoners were brought to their doom they passed over this bridge and got one last look at Venice, and sighed.
By this time it was after 3pm, so Ana Rose and I slowly made our way back to our hotel, exploring some of the streets on the way/looking in some shops. We were in desperate need of showers and a nap! After recouping for a couple hours and letting the sun go down a bit, we headed back out a little after 6pm. We went to see the Rialto Bridge, one of the world’s most famous bridges because it is so big and impressive with all of its stone. Plus, it offers a wonderful view of Venice. While we were taking pictures and exploring this new part of Venice, we watched boat after boat, filled with people dancing to festive music, pass under the Rialto Bridge. It was such a sight! It was all a part of the Festa del Redentore, happening this weekend. This is a festival that has been occurring in Venice since 1577. It is in celebration of protection from a bad plague and the construction of the Redentore Church (Redeemer). Festivities occur all weekend, including gondola races, which unfortunately happened after we left. However, we did see a large part of the celebration when at dusk all of boats decorated with bright colors, balloons, and bright lanterns, traveled down the canals to St. Mark’s Bay and passed under the Rialto Bridge. Later that night, they all end up in St. Mark’s Bay making a long row/”walkway” from boat to boat from Venice to the Island of Giudecca, where the Redentore Church is. We watched this parade of boats, wishing we had some connections in Venice so we could be a part of it because it looked like so much fun, before heading to dinner. We chose a restaurant off the beaten path that we’d stumbled upon earlier, called Taverna SanLeo. They had a prix fix menu for only 19 euros (cheap by Venice’s standards!) so we got a pasta course, meat dish, and dessert. We also ordered a glass of their surprisingly very good house white wine too. I had the tagliatelle pasta with mussels and a light olive oil sauce. For my main course, I had sea bass with a zucchini cream sauce with a small salad on the side. Very delicious! And dessert – gelato with berries of course! It was a very unique restaurant with bright orange decorations and artsy paintings on the wall. We really enjoyed our leisurely dinner, appreciating what we came to call our “splurge” weekend because Venice is so expensive. Afterwards, we headed to St. Mark’s Square to stake out a spot along the canal for fireworks in celebration of the festival. So many people crowded the square, so it was good we got there early because we had amazing views. All of the boats from the parade were lined up and their lanterns illuminated the sky and the canal. At 11:30pm the fireworks started and were beautiful over the canal! They lasted past midnight and were such a sight to see! Although it was crowded, it was such an experience being a part of the Festa del Redentore festivities. Throughout the night beneath our hotel window, you could hear boats going by playing music and gondolas with accordion-players.
It’s time for dinner, then study time for my Italian test tomorrow, so our Sunday spent in Florence will be in the next post. Enjoy the Venice pictures!
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