VENICE

Venice is a city in northern Italy, the capital of the Veneto region and has a population of approximately 272,000. Over the years it has been known as the "Queen of the Adriatic", "City of Water", "City of Bridges", and "The City of Light". Venice is world-famous for its canals. The city is built on an archipelago of 118 islands formed by about 150 canals in a shallow lagoon with the islands being connected by about 400 bridges. In the old center, the canals serve the function of roads and every form of transport is entirely dependant upon water or foot.

In the 19th century a causeway to the mainland brought a railway station to Venice. An automobile causeway and parking lot was added in the 20th century. Beyond these land entrances at the northern edge of the city, transportation within the city remains, as it was in centuries past, entirely dependent upon water or foot. Venice is Europe's most unique city and largest urban car free area.

People have told us that when you visit you will either love or hate the city. We are still trying to make up on minds on which applies in our case.

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A map showing the location of where we stayed in Venice.

Bob and Genevieve looking out the windows of the Ca Mororisni Guest House in Venice.

A Venetian gondola. The cost for a ride was 75 Euros for 30 minutes. The craft can normally carry up to six people and the cost may shared among the passengers.

A gondola is a traditional Venetian sculling boat. Gondolas were for centuries the chief means of transportation within Venice and still have a role in public transport, serving as traghètti (ferries) over major canals. The gondola is propelled by an oarsman (the gondolier) who stands facing the bow and pushes, rather than pulls, a single oar. Contrary to popular belief the gondola is never poled like a punt as the waters of Venice are too deep. A gondola for passengers may have a small open cabin, for their protection against sun or rain.

A sumptuary law of Venice required that gondolas should be painted black, and they are customarily so painted now.A gondolier, under Venetian law, must have been born in Venice to practice this profession.


It is estimated that there were several thousand gondolas during the 18th century. There are a few hundred today, most of which are for hire by tourists, while a few serve as traghetti or are in private ownership and use.

The construction of the gondola has continued to evolve until the late 19th century, when motorized boats began to replace gondolas in Venice. A gondola is long and narrow, with an asymmetrical outline to facilitate propulsion with a single oar, and a good deal of rocker (lengthwise curvature) to minimise the area of contact with the water. The oar or rèmo is held in an oar lock known as a fòrcola. The forcola is of a complicated shape, allowing several positions of the oar for slow forward rowing, powerful forward rowing, turning, slowing down and rowing backwards. The iron ornament on the front of the boat is called the fèrro. It serves to protect the prow from accidental damage, as decoration and as counterweight for the gondolier standing near the stern.

Gondolas are hand made using 8 different types of wood (fir, oak, cherry, walnut, elm, mahogany, larch and lime) and are composed of 280 pieces. The oars are made of beech wood and the left side of the gondola is made longer than the right side to counterbalance the weight of the gondolier.

Venetian tradition dictates that couples must kiss under every bridge for Eternal Love.

We were too cheap to hire a Gondola.

• Click here to see a poor mans gondola ride

Suggest you select the Hi Resolution display in the upper right of the window. Hold down the left button as you move the mouse about to change views of the canal.

The Rialto Bridge

It is the oldest and most famous of the three bridges that span the Grand Canal. The present stone bridge was finally completed in 1591. It is remarkably similar to the wooden bridge it succeeded. Two inclined ramps lead up to a central portico. On either side of the portico the covered ramps carry rows of shops. The engineering of the bridge was considered so audacious that architect Vincenzo Scamozzi predicted that it would collapse in a few years. The bridge has defied its critics to become one of the architectural icons of Venice.

Some of the many small shops that are on the Rialto Bridge. They sell mostly souvenirs such as masks, Murano glass, T shirts, etc.

Genevieve on the Accademia Bridge. Two waterbuses (vaporetti) and a water taxi are in the canal.

The bridge was first constructed in 1854. The original steel structure was later demolished and replaced by a wooden bridge in the 1930s, despite widespread hopes for a stone bridge. The second bridge, in a dangerous condition, was replaced by the present bridge, of identical construction, in 1985.

A typical canal scene. The gondolas are everywhere.

A water ambulance tearing down the canal with the siren blaring. The fire boats and police do the same thing.

Another gondola in one of the many side canals. The gondoliers are very skilled in manoeuvring their craft about in the restricted and congested water lanes.

Murano

Murano’s reputation as a center for glassmaking was born when the Venetian Republic, fearing fire and destruction to the city’s mostly wood buildings, ordered glassmakers to move their foundries to Murano in 1291.

Murano's glassmakers were soon the island’s most prominent citizens. By the 14th century, glass makers were allowed to wear swords, enjoyed immunity from prosecution by the Venetian state and found their daughters married into Venice’s most affluent families. Of course there was a catch: glassmakers weren't allowed to leave the Republic. However, many craftsmen took this risk and set up glass furnaces in surrounding cities and as far afield as England and the Netherlands.

Murano’s glassmakers held a monopoly on quality glassmaking for centuries, developing or refining many technologies including crystalline glass, enameled glass (smalto), glass with threads of gold (aventurine), multicolored glass (millefiori), milk glass (lattimo), and imitation gemstones made of glass. Today, the artisans of Murano are still employing these century-old techniques, crafting everything from contemporary art glass and glass jewelry to Murano glass chandeliers and wine stoppers.

This glassblower gave a demonstration of his skills. He produced a vase and horse from the molten glass and made the process look very easy.

An example of an eloborate sculpture made from hand blown glass. There are a number of these sculptures on display throughout Murano.

The Island of San Michele

San Michele, nicknamed The Island of the Dead, is the cemetery island of Venice. It was selected to become a cemetery in 1807 when under French occupation it was decreed that burial on the mainland was unsanitary. The island briefly doubled as a prison, but it is the now closed. Bodies were carried to the island on special funeral gondolas.

The cemetery is still in use today. However, due to shortage of space, as is the custom in many European countries, after a few years the dead are exhumed and stored in compact concrete ossuary boxes in another part of the cemetery.

Genevieve strolling in front of the The Doge's Palace, St Marks Square.



The pigeons of St Marks Square.

When in St Marks Square one has to feed the pigeons. Genevieve refused as she considered it a health hazard.

Outdoor cafe in St Marks Square. During the height of the tourist season, we were told that a cup of coffee could set you back about 35 Canadian dollars.

Bridge of Sighs near St Marks Square.

The enclosed bridge is made of white limestone and has windows with stone bars. It passes over the Rio di Palazzo and connects the old prisons to the interrogation rooms in the Doge's Palace. It was designed by Antoni Contino (whose uncle Antonio da Ponte had designed the Rialto Bridge), and built between 1600 and 1603.

The view from the Bridge of Sighs was the last view of Venice that convicts saw before their imprisonment. The bridge name, given by Lord Byron in the 19th century, comes from the suggestion that prisoners would sigh at their final view of beautiful Venice out the window before being taken down to their cells. In reality, the days of inquisitions and summary executions were over by the time the bridge was built, and the cells under the palace roof were occupied mostly by small-time criminals[

A local legend says that lovers will be assured eternal love if they kiss on a gondola at sunset under the bridge. This legend played a key part in the 1979 film A Little Romance.

An artist selling his paintings on the waterfront near St Marks Square.

There are lots of very narrow streets in Venice. When strolling around you often come across some very unique shops that are located in these alleyways.

A street vendor hauling his cart full of masks back home at the end of the day. It is difficult to understand how they can make a living at this since there are so many vendors competing for sales.

A stone artisan at work in his shop.

A display of violin making on exhibit at the Vivaldi museum. Vivaldi is credited with composing over 500 concertos, 46 operas and 73 sonatas.

Genevieve bedding down for the night as we leave on the Venice to Paris leg of our journey. We had a 6 unit sleeper compartment that was small but cosy. The seats could be converted to beds very quickly. The conductor advised us to keep the compartment locked at all times. There were some sleazy looking characters on the train.

Paris at last. We departed Venice around 8:00 PM and arrived the next morning at 8:50 AM