Welcome to Venice

Some History of the City

The first settlers of Venice were the Ligurians who perhaps came first and established themselves on the Euganei hills arriving here from the sea and the land, the Trojans escaping from their town and the Venetians coming from the Slavonic countries. All these peoples who came to our region joined the inhabitants of the Euganei Hills to form a single people.

Hypothesis on who really were the inhabitantsof the lagoon in the pre-roman era are advanced. Sided by the toponymy we may argue that they seem to come from the inland with gallo-celtic and Greek inflexions. From this study we deduce the existence of human seltlements in the South Lagoon which was more exposed to the sea and which clearly was as healthy as the woody places. These peoples made contact with the Roman civilization without fighting, since it seems that they were submissive to the Romans, receiving in exchange some remarkable economic advantages. The Lagoon extended from Ravenna to the outlet of the Timavo River and Augustus exploited it as a commercial way connecting Ravenna, Altino and Acquileia. During the whole Roman Empire, the lagoon was little inhabited. It was a holiday resort for noblemen of that time. There were small ports for inland navigation and small settlements of fishermen.

Rialto was the first harbour of Venice. The barrels, boxes, spices, wine and oil perfumes which were unloaded on the bank of the GrandCanal were housed in the warehouses called " fondaci ".

During the day the goods brought outdoors were sold on the stalls around the church of San Giovanni Elemosinaro. The market could be reached by an opening in the bridge called the monete which today can be seen only in a picture in the collection of the Academy of Fine Arts. The bridge, painted by Carpaccio was replaced with that planned by Antonio da Ponte, - built in stone on a single arch -, in the second half of a fifteenth century.
Coming into Venice at night from the airport is one of the most memorable experiences available. We step from the small central lobby of the airport out onto the docks and down into the motor launch. The city is visible as a slight twinkle which grows in intensity as our launch approaches. Soon we can make out the pilings that mark the outter most reaches of the city. And suddenly we see brilliantly flood lit buildings as we swing to the left and enter the grand canal. We have arrived in Venice!

We glide between grand palaces, some draped in banners, until we come to the Ponte Rialto, pictured here. The bridge is a landmark in the city and signs at street corners point either to it or to the Piazza San Marco. That way, theoretically, one can never be lost. Our boatman drops us off at the bridge and points vaguely toward a street which supposedly has our hotel.

A few glasses of wine and some dinner (brought even though everyone else is finished) restore us to the point we decide a brief excursion is in order. We are only a few blocks from Piazza San Marco, the center of Venice .

This birds-eye view gives you the best over-all idea of the layout of the Piazza San Marco. It has been called the most beautiful drawing room in all of Europe. Weather permitting, there are tables and chairs set out by the two cafes on either side of the piazza. The U-shaped building to the right is the Doge's Palace. Immediately behind is the Basilica of San Marco with its domed roof. The great piazza is the U-shaped space to the left, surrounded by colonnaded buildings on three sides.

The space in front of the Doge's Palace, with the Archeological Museum and Campanile opposite, is called the Piazetta San Marco.
One entry to the Piazza is under this clock tower. Look carefully and you will see the winged lion, symbol of Saint Mark and the Republic of Venice. Founded on a lagoon as protection against marauders, Venice was never conquered during its long years as an independent republic. Venice relied on its location in the lagoon for protection and never built walls as did other city-states.

Sitting proudly at the head of the Piazza is the Basilica di San Marco. Richly decorated with vari-colored marble and golden mosaics, the basilica was as much a civic as a religious building. The Dodge, the ruler of Venice, was the head of the church in Venice because Venice was often a political rival of the Vatican and the Pope.

San Marco, although built during the Gothic period, looks distinctly different than contemporary northern european churches. Many of the craftsmen who built San Marco were from Constantinople, a trading partner of the Republic. Thus you will see lavish use of gold mosaics in the decorations and rounded arches rather than the pointed arches that are typically associated with the Gothic period.
This detail of the front of the basilica gives a good view of some of the mosaic work that decorates both the exterior and the interior of the church. Look closely and you will see four bronze horses. These are replicas of the horses brought back from Constantinople by victorious Venetian troops. Venice was one of the first european cities to trade with the newly established Ottoman empire, but war was always part of commercial policy in those days. It was on this basis that Venice became the jewel of the Adriatic sea and one of the richest cities in Europe.

Adjacent to the Basilica is the Palace of the Doges, the residence of the rulers of Venice during her time as an independent city. Do you see what look like tables? Those are actually not tables at all but used as walkways when the Piazza floods in the winter. We are lucky that the Piazza is dry by the time we arrive. The prior week the Piazza was under 2 feet of water. Venetians explain their superior height (the men were VERY tall), by their need to stay above the water.

I came across this wonderful illumination (from the Book of Marco Polo in the Bodleian Library, Oxford) which gives a birds eye perspective of the Palace and the Cathedral. Venice was a major trading force in the Black Sea and owned territories, particularly islands, in the Adriatic where her galleys could stop on their way to Constantinople. The Palace has one side facing the Grand Canal and visitors were brought up the Grand Canal to the Palace with suitable display of pomp.

Opposite the Doges Palace is the archeological museum. and the Zecca or mint.
Here we are looking back into the Piazza, past that section known as the Piazzetta San Marco . Atop the column is the winged lion, symbol of Venice and Saint Mark, her patron saint. The tall building is the Campanile. You can just make out the clock tower (shown on an earlier page) at the very back of the Piazza, if you look carefully.

Tucked to the back of the Cathedral on the Piazza is the Palace of the Cardinal of Venice.
Since Venice was often out of step with Papal policy, the cardinal doesn't rate a riverside view.

We are looking at the buildings which form a connection between the Doges Palace and the Cathedral and which allowed the Doges to appear in the Cathedral by a private route. Today this is the entry point to the Doges Palace museum. On display are furnishings and paintings and your ticket also allows you to visit the prison where armour and torture devices are kept.

The columns mark the waterside entry to the Piazza San Marco, the very heart of Venice. On our early morning stroll we have the Piazza to ourselves, except for the ubiquitous pigeons, which are protected by law in Venice. They can be a genuine hazard during the summer months when tables and chairs are set out in the Piazza by the cafes.
Turning to the left at the canal, we walk past the Doges Palace and across the bridge, the Ponte della Paglia. Venice is built on over 100 islands, most connected by bridges which cross the canals.

Looking up the side canal, we see the famous Bridge of Sighs which connects the Palace with the former prison. The sighs were not romantic, you see, but the laments of the captives as they were brought into the presence of the Doges then returned to their cells.
From the Ponte della Paglia, we look back toward the Doge's palace and can see another great chruch, Santa Maria della Salute. Maybe on the next visit to Venice we will get to see it........there is simply too much to take in during our threee day stay.

Bet you've been waiting for the gondola ride! We will take one now.. Of course we need music, so with us in one of the gondolas is a tenor who will sing as we glide thru the smaller canals and out onto the Grand Canal.

We move along the canals past splendid houses and their attendant boats. You may purchase a palace in Venice for a fairly modest sum. But be prepared for a lot of fixing upping. And not everyone in Venice has a boat. It is possible to get almost anywhere in Venice on foot over the many bridges. Our local guide informs us that the many Venetians take their first and only boat ride on their way to the cemetary located on an outter island.

The lack of automobiles in Venice is somehow magical. We know they won't be there, but actually not seeing a single one in three days comes as a surprise. Many in our tour make the comment and everyone wants to return to Venice for a longer stay next time.
We just have time for a short walk this last morning before we have to board our launch and leave Venice. A stroll through the twisted and narrow streets takes us to this campo. In Venice there is only ONE piazza. All the other squares are called campo's or fields.

We snag a great seat at the front of the launch that takes us up the Grand Canal... we have the perfect picture taking spot. The weather is cooperating today too and clears so that we can see the colors of the palaces along the Canal in all their glory.

As you might suppose, the Grand Canal is the choicest spot for a house in Venice and the grand families of days gone by lined the waterway with their stately palaces.
Magnificent churches like this one face onto the canal, the main street of Venice.
And one building after another vies to be the richest and most splendid. Here we have an example of baroque magnificence in white marble.

Starting our trip to Italy in Venice was just wonderful. It's fairy tale ambience puts us in the perfect holiday mood. We find our fellow tour members feel the same and we know this will be a memorable trip. We are melding into the kind of group everyone hopes for when on tour........lively, considerate and willing travelers. The complainers must have taken the summer tours!