Venice, Italy

Snapshot of Venice
Written by Jan Castagnaro

Venice to the tourist, Venezia to the Italian, and Venexia to the Venetian, but whatever you choose to call it, it is one of Italy’s most captivating cities. This city of canals carves its way through several small islands nestled within the marshy lagoons along the Adriatic Sea, and takes its place as the capital of the Veneto region. With its shoreline embracing the Adriatic, it’s no wonder it was considered a major sea power, making it an important staging ground during the Crusades, a leading area for commerce, and a central inspiration for the arts during the Renaissance.



One only needs to stroll the streets of Venice to feel the whimsical wonderment, which captivates and lures you in to days long gone. The intricate detailed architecture of the buildings will keep you in awe as you wander through every nook and cranny. Though there is a blending of modern alongside the pieces of the past, the newness has not overshadowed the splendor of this ancient city, which was founded in 568 following the emigration of refugees escaping the invasion of northern Italy by the Lombards. The narrow paths and walkways are not only crowded by tourists, but the ghosts of yesterday hauntingly carry you along your journey, as you step back in time.

Whether you are there for its beauty, or a connoisseur of sorts, Venice will offer up a dish of something for everyone. Though often crowded by tourists, this city is not hard to navigate at all. Once you abandon your car at a parking garage/lots, or step off the Train at Venezia S. Lucia station, the paths are clearly marked by yellow signs pointing the path of the most common sites visited in Venice. In addition, there are many waterbus (vaporetti) stations along the canal, each having maps noting your location; and if you are feeling intimidated and unsure, you can purchase a waterbus ticket and tour the city by boat.

The streets of Venice are lined with small shops, selling everything from souvenirs, Murano glass, carnivale masks, art, jewelry, clothes, food, wine, bread, gelato, and more. There are open-air markets where you can buy fresh produce, meats, cheeses, and souvenirs. One of these al fresco markets can be found at the famous and oldest bridge in Venice, The Rialto, which spans across the Grand Canal. The Rialto, itself, consists of two covered inclined ramps, which lead to the central portico. Small shops line the covered ramps of the Rialto.

Before making your way to The Rialto, you may wish to venture into, what is called Ghetto Novo, the Jewish Ghetto in Venice. After 1492, when many Jews were pushed out of Spain and Portugal, they began to make home in several Italian cities, and eventually, setting up small communities within Venice. Their presence was not always one of welcome, and it led to the Governor of the Republic to designate a specified area where the Jews would be confined to; and in 1516, the first Ghetto came into existence. Today, when visiting, there are two synagogues dating back to the 15th and 16th century, a museum, shops and kosher restaurants.

There is, indeed, so much to see and do in Venice, and to rush through it you would surely miss some of its splendor. As you wander, eating and snacking will never be a problem. Whether you pack a lunch and sit in one of the numerous squares, or stop for sit down up market cuisine, there is something appetizing for every one. The mouth-watering smells that permeate the city, especially at lunchtime, will tease you into submission.

When you tire of traveling by foot, treat yourself to a ride in a classical Venetian boat known as the gondola. It can be a bit pricey, but what is a trip to Venice without a ride in a gondola; and if you are lucky, you may be able to get your gondola navigator to serenade you as you glide along the canal waters. If a gondola ride is out of your price range, there is always a waterbus (Vaporetti), which will navigate the canal like a subway train or commuter bus, making stops at most of the important sightseeing destinations.

As you continue your exploration of Venice, a notable stop might be at the Accademia (Accademia di Belle Arti) on the south bank of the Grand Canal. It is Venice’s famous school of art, as well as host to an art collection of masterpiece paintings. Paintings created by Giovanni Bellini, Pietro Longhi, Andrea Mantegna, Titian, Paolo Veronese, as well as other artists dating up to the 18th century, can be found there.

No trip to Venice would be complete without a stop at Piazza San Marco, which is Venice’s official town square. While there, you can visit St. Mark’s Basilica (Basilica di San Marco in Venezia), which is the most famous of the many churches surrounding Venice, and a beautiful construction in itself. Lining the square, there is St. Mark’s Clock tower, Procuratie Vecchie and Nuove, St. Mark’s Campanile, and Doge’s Palace. There are a magnificent selection of museums, cafes, and an opportunity to visit the famous Venetian mint. At the rear of Doge’s Palace, is another famous bridge, The Bridge of Sighs, which crosses over Rio di Palazzo, connecting the old prisons to the interrogation room in the palace. The bridge was built in the 16th century, but was given its name by Lord Byron in the 19th century. It is said that when prisoners were transferred to the prison, while walking across the bridge, they would sigh at their final view of beautiful Venice, before being taken to their cell; hence the name Bridge of Sighs. The old prison once confined Casanova and Galileo. Before leaving the square, take a moment, buy a bag of dried corn kernels, and feed the friendly pigeons who make their home there. Then stroll along the waters of the Grand Canal, next to the Piazza San Marco, you will find street vendors selling souvenirs, local artists sketching and painting works you can buy, and snacks.

A nice way to end a day of absorbing the magnificence of Venice, is to board a waterbus at the Piazza San Marco stop, sit back and relax, while the boat navigates you on the Grand Canal, and back toward where you began your trip. During the ride, be sure to take notice of the exquisite architecture all along the Grand Canal. Keep an eye out for Ca’d’Oro, a beautiful palazzo built between 1428 and 1430 for the Contarini family. Also, be on the look out for the Ca’ Rezzonico, Ca’ Foscari, Ca’ Balbi, and Ca’ Giustinian, which capture the beautiful Venetian Baroque and gothic style architecture.

If you are staying in one of Venice’s many hotels, and have more time to spend there, you may want to take a waterbus out to one of the other islands. Murano is the island that is famous for glass making, and there are shops all over the island, which sell the beautiful glass art that is produce there. The island of Burano is dotted with brightly colored houses, and known for lace making, with a museum and school dedicated to the art. Lido, primarily visited by Italians for their summer retreat, is also the scene for the Venice Film Festival.

With its blend of old and new, Venice has a truly mystical quality that keeps you enchanted and intrigued. Soaked with history, adorned with beauty, and emerged with culture, one visit will leave you longing for more.

A visit to Venice is a dream that many people share. Mention Venice and immediately a vision of graceful gondoliers gliding along blue translucent canals floats before one’s eyes. For Venice is a city of canals – canals that are bordered by elegant palatial buildings. Venice is, in fact, described as ‘a uniquely romantic city, whose canals pass through sumptuous palaces and magnificent churches’. My first glimpse of Venice was from the air, when I was on a plane flying to Greece. There wasn’t a cloud in the sky, and our pilot announced over the intercom that, at that particular point in time, we were flying directly above Venice…..

Luckily, I had a ‘window seat’ and I immediately looked downwards. And despite the height – and the speed – at which our plane was travelling, I saw the ‘City of Venice’ so clearly. I saw a wide vista of gleaming blue water spiralling its way through an array of glinting great buildings. And the sight was so impressive that I made a vow that one day I myself would visit that magical city in person……

It’s claimed that there are few cities in the world apart from Venice that ‘possess such an awesome line-up of sights for visitors’. And the ‘Grand Canal’ has undoubtedly attained the status of being the city’s foremost attraction. It is Venice’s major thoroughfare, and is described as a ‘majestic waterway highway that bisects the city and offers constantly changing vistas’. It’s claimed that a total of 177 canals flow through the city of Venice, but the ‘Grand Canal’ occupies pride of place as being both the ‘grandest’, the largest and the most impressive.

Gondolas galore are available for ‘canal travel’, and are described as ‘the ultimate Venetian romantic experience’. There are also water taxis that can be hired, which are, in effect, brown and white motorboats, complete with comfortable cabins. Popular too are the ‘Vaporetti’ waterbuses, which are large but whose progress is somewhat slow. They all have one large cabin but ample ‘standing space’. Other means of ‘water transport’ are also always available, including ‘The Island Ferry’ service. And, being ‘a city of canals’, Venice is, likewise ‘a city of bridges’! And these bridges look equally impressive, whether viewed as one floats beneath them by boat, or whether studied at close quarters as one crosses over them on foot.

Venice’s bridges would appear to be ‘countless’. But described as the city’s ‘most famous bridge’ is the ‘Rialto Bridge’, which dates from 1588, and which fords the Grand Canal at its narrowest point. The ‘Bridge of Sighs’, likewise, is equally well known, having once been the bridge across which convicts were led prior to being incarcerated – and where they ‘sighed’ sadly as they bade a final farewell to the outside world……

Described as one of Venice’s most marvellous observation points is the bridge known as ‘Ponte degli Scalzi’. Being 130 feet long and spanning the ‘Grand Canal’ at a height of 23 feet, it overlooks a vista of both palaces and boats.

The bridge named ‘Ponte dei Pugni’ lays claim to a somewhat sinister history, for it was here that violent ‘fist fights’ (pugni) used to take place between rival clans – with many of the contestants ending up in the canal! However, in the year 1705 such ‘fist fights’ were officially banned. The bridge known as ‘Ponte delle Tette’ on the other hand, has a totally different history, for during the 1400s it was in this vicinity that the city’s prostitutes were invited to ‘display their feminine wares’ – hence its name ‘Bridge of Breasts’.

Venice, of course, is by no means simply a city of bridges and canals. While canals might constitute its main thoroughfares, its wealth of historic buildings, it is claimed, ‘house some of the greatest mosaics, paintings and sculptures to be found anywhere on earth’. And the buildings themselves also represent a vision of opulence, with sumptuous palaces, magnificent churches and elegant ‘palazzis’ (mansions) occupying pride of place.

Top on the list of most tourists’ sightseeing itineraries is the ‘Basilica San Marco’ – described as ‘Venice’s fairytale cathedral’, and the city’ most famous building. This Byzantine basilica is a dominant feature of Piazza San Marco – the religious and political centre of Venice.

‘The Basilica San Marco’ was constructed in a stunningly ornate style in order to create ‘a fitting resting place’ for St. Mark, whose remains were brought to Venice from Alexandria. And its exterior features ‘a succession of domes, columns, arches and spires, interspersed with marble statues, screens and glittering mosaics’. And its interior, likewise, has been heavily embellished with superb mosaics and exquisite works of art.

Its paved flooring too is described as ‘a mosaic masterpiece of multi-coloured stones’. In addition to the Basilica’s many other fascinating features, it also has a museum – ‘The Basilica Museum’. And inside this museum can be seen the ‘famed quartet of horses crafted from bronze and covered in gold’ – whose replicas stand on the balcony that overlooks the Piazza San Marco.

The ‘Doge’s Palace’, which used to be the official residence of the 120 ‘doges’ who ruled Venice from 697 to 1797, is also located in Piazza San Marco, and it is described as ‘a magnificent combination of Byzantine, Gothic and Renaissance architecture’.

Its exterior is particularly elegant, with its twin facades, and its pink and cream stonework and loggia which stand above an arcade of columns. And the building’s interior is equally impressive, its ornate ‘Sale del Maggior Consiglio’ chamber being particularly magnificent. Described as the ‘largest room in the whole of Venice’, this majestic chamber stretches across almost the entire length of the waterfront, and its vast golden interior is lined with ‘canvasses depicting Venetian victories and a cornice frieze of 76 doges’.

It is in this building too that the ‘prisons’ are located, which constitute a maze of cells, with corridors and staircases on both sides of the canal. And it’s from here that Casanova made his dramatic escape in the year 1756. And these are the prisons that are liked to ‘the Bridge of Sighs’ (known as Ponte dei Sospiri), along which the prisoners were led into captivity – and where, it is claimed they ‘sighed at their last glimpse of sky and sea’.

Piazza San Marco’s tallest building is ‘The Campanile’ (The Bell Tower). Rising to 325 feet, it is, in fact, also the highest building in the whole of Venice. And it is possible to make trips to the top of the tower by an elevator, where incomparable views of the city can be obtained.

The Rennaisance style clock tower of ‘Torre dell’Orologio’ is also to be found in Piazza San Marco. It’s topped by two bronze figures who hammer out the hours. According to legend, the craftsmen who created the clock tower were subsequently ‘blinded’ to prevent them from repeating the work…..

Venice, of course, abounds with art galleries, one of which is the ‘Academia Galleries’, featuring a ‘dazzling collection of masterpieces spanning the full development of Venetian art from Byzantine to Renaissance, Baroque and Rococo. These include Giovanni Bellini’s ‘Enthroned Madonna’ and Giorgione’s ‘The Tempest’. Described as ‘Italy’s leading museum for 20th century European and American art is the ‘Peggy Guggenheim Collection’ which is housed in the 18th century ‘Palazzo dei Leoni’ – a one storey building referred to as ‘the unfinished palace’ and situated on the Grand Canal.

More than 200 works by contemporary artist are on display at this museum, including ‘The Poet’ – a portrait by Pablo Picasso, and ‘Bird in Space’ – a brass sculpture by Romanian artist Constantin Brancusi. Considered to be another ‘must see’ site is the ‘Santa Maria Gloriosa dei Frari’, a 15th century church described as ‘a masterpiece of Venetian Gothic ecclesiastical architecture’. And its interior lays claim to ‘a wonderful series of art treasures’.

Described as ‘the best market place in the world’ is the Rialto Market. It is also referred to as ‘the commercial hub of Venice’. Situated alongside the Grand Canal and adjacent to the famous Rialto Bridge, the Rialto Market has stalls featuring both fresh fruit and fresh vegetables and fresh fish of every description.

From here it is possible to take a trip across the Grand Canal on the Gondola Ferry (traghetto ferry), on which, it is claimed, ‘custom dictates that passengers should remain standing’. Venice obviously abounds with hotels of every description, ranging from ‘Luxury Hotels’ to ‘Budget Hotels’, ‘Hotels with Charm’, ‘Converted Palaces Hotels’, ‘Hotels in Tranquil Locations’, and ‘Medium Priced Hotels’. There is also a selection of ‘Self Catering Accommodation’ available, and even ‘Hostels and Camp Sites’.

But starting at the top of the list, considered to be Venice’s most famous and luxurious hotel – and even one of the world’s great hotels – is ‘Hotel Cipriani’, which stands on its own island, and having its own private launch, lies within minutes of Piazza San Marco. The hotel has extensive grounds, with an outdoor Olympic size swimming pool and an excellent restaurant.

In fact, it is the ‘Hotel Cipriani Restaurant’ that seems to occupy ‘pride of place’ at the ‘top of the list’ of the recommended Venetian restaurants Another restaurant in Venice that appears to be highly recommended is one known as ‘Vini da Gigio’, which is described as ‘the best place to sample the finest Venetian cooking and superb wines at excellent prices’. Dining alfresco at canal side restaurants is obviously a popular practice in Venice, particularly in areas where there are floodlit views. Venetian nightlife too can be both vibrant and colourful.

The ‘Paradiso Perduto’ (Lost Paradise) is a particularly renowned night haunt. Claimed to be almost always filled to capacity, spring and summer seasons see additional tables being set out alongside the canal, and here bands are said to perform from moored boats. The ‘Paradiso Perduto’ also organises ‘all-night themed parties’.

Numerous late night waterfront bars too can be located in Venice which usually open between 10.30 p.m., and 11.00 p.m. and close at about 2.00 a.m. And evening opera and concert performances too are held at theatre venues in various parts of Venice. Of particular interest is the ‘Teatro La Fenice’, Venice’s world famous opera house, which was rebuilt and re-opened in 2004 after having been ravaged by a fire in 1996. Interestingly, ‘Fenice’ means ‘phoenix’ – and Venice’s ‘Fenice’, it is claimed, has certainly now ‘risen from the ashes’ in spectacular style. Venice is easily accessible from London.

One can fly to Marco Polo Airport, which lies just five miles north of the city. One can travel by Eurostar train as far as Paris, and then take another train to Venezia Santa Lucia. This particular form of transport can take up to more than 26 hours, but the cost of a couchette is included in the price of the ticket. One can even drive to Venice – crossing the Channel either by ferry or through the Channel Tunnel – but the main route south to Italy would entail driving through France, Switzerland and Germany.

Or, of course, one could travel in ‘sheer luxury’ by boarding The Orient Express, which departs from London’s Victoria Station and arrives in Venezia Santa Lucia, with the journey time taking about thirty one hours. It’s possible to combine a one-way trip too with the Orient Express with either air or train travel on the outward or return journey.

But ‘luxury’, of course, seldom ‘comes cheap’ and it’s said that a one way trip by the Orient Express costs £1,350 while a return trip costs £2,015. But, however one chooses to travel to Venice, it’s a city that should definitely feature as a ‘must see’ destination on every potential tourist’s itinerary. For Venice is truly unique – and incomparable with anywhere else in the world

Roberta Crookes has worked as a newspaper journalist throughout most of her life, writing news stories, editorial features, advertisement supplements, and reviews. And in the course of her work she has interviewed many famous people from all walks of life. She has also managed to combine parallel careers in both journalism and acting, and, being Welsh speaking from North Wales, her main television featured parts have been Welsh language roles with BBC Wales.