What is it about Venice that piques the imagination? Is it that no other city in the world is as silent as Venice at night? The cacophony of sounds – traffic,honking,construction – associated with any urban dwelling in the world is blissfully missing in Venice. The stillness of a Venetian night is broken only by the occasional splashing of oars. Or maybe the allure of Venice is that the maze of narrow streets, labyrinth of bridges over twisting canals tell a story that is almost 1000 years old!It is the story of how a swampy lagoon was transformed into one of the richest trading powers in the world, reached the zenith of Renaissance art, been a preferred set for some of Literature’s best books but is now sinking slowly into the depths of Adriatic Sea.
Our dalliance with this ancient canal city was for a mere two days – long enough to gasp at the architectural splendour lining both sides of the Grand Canal but definitely not enough to explore whole of Venice with its 120 islands and 450 bridges!It was almost late afternoon when we started from our apartment in Castello towards Rialto Bridge on the day we arrived in Venice. The twenty minute walk – through the winding streets lined with fascinating houses with remnants of ancient arches, tiny bridges over twisting canals, narrow brooding streets which would suddenly open into a bustling squares – was a revelation in itself.
The Rialto Bridge, built in the sixteenth century is one of the four bridges that span the Grand Canal.Designed by Antonio da Ponte,the engineering of the bridge was considered so audacious at its time that many of its critics predicted future ruin. The bridge has however stood the test of time to become one of the architectural icons of Venice.Even though the sight of the bridge is beautiful in itself, the market tucked away on the side of the bridge ,the array of restaurants on either bank of the Canal and the general hustle bustle of the area is quite fascinating. A sumptuous dinner later, as we took a water taxi on our way back, the reflection of the lights on the pitch black darkness of the water gave an ethereal feel to this floating city.
No visit to the city is complete without a stop at St Mark’s Piazza. The grand piazza flanked by the St Mark’s Basilica, Doge’s palace and the Bell tower has changed very little since the 1000 years of its existence.Our first stop the next day, was the St Mark Campanile or simply put the Bell Tower of St Marc’s Basillica. Unlike many other Campanile in Italy this one has an elevator that takes you directly to the top. A pre- booked “skip the line ticket” (through Venetoinside.com) definitely gives you an advantage over the thousand of tourists who throng Venice on a given summer day. As we disembarked from the elevator, we were treated to a riot of red on all sides. The 360 degree view of Venice with its brick red tiled rooftops and the surrounding lagoon is a spectacular sight to behold!
Right across the street, was our second stop – St Marc’s Basilica.For its opulent design, gold ground mosaics, and its status as a symbol of Venetian wealth and power, from the 11th century on the building has been known by the nickname Chiesa d’Oro (Church of gold).
A lunch – in one of the restaurants that line the narrow streets behind the Piazza – later it was a choice between 30 minute queue under the glaring afternoon sun for the entry in Doge’s palace or move on to other attractions in Venice.We chose to move on to Ponte dell’Accademia or the Accademia Bridge that crosses the Grand Canal linking the San Marco with Dorsoduro. Though the bridge is an unassuming wooden one, it offers two of the best views in Venice, looking along the Grand Canal in each direction. On one side lies the dome of Santa Maria della Salute, and on the other is the quieter bend which eventually takes the canal towards the Rialto Bridge.
We chose to have the quintessential Gondola ride during sunset. As the sun started going down the Lagoon and the gondola meandered through the narrow canals with the gondolier telling stories of a bygone era, the ancient houses cast an eerie spell in the twilight – you can close your eyes and almost step back in time! Yes, Venice we feel lucky to have seen you in our lifetime!
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