La Serenissima Venice

Blogger's Note

This is probably the best writing that you could find in this blog. And I did not write this 😆. You can find the writer here.

And... I lost the linked photos during migration 😭. Hope you can enjoy the writing nonetheless, and the photos here.

I have been wrangling with my thoughts over what is it about Venice that I find so compelling. Is it the canals that still bear some semblance of the trade that used to fill the coffers of the merchants of yore? Is it the decadent yet crumbling buildings, ornate palaces, and kitschy shops that jostle together at haphazard angles, barely keeping their toes out of the capricious tides? Or is the gondoliers and their gilded rides--which apparently tourists can't do without?

I think, in the end, it's the temerity of man to build a city of opulence in the middle of the sea, propped up by a hundred islands barely keeping their noses out of the water. It's the tenacity of it's people to build--with great feats of engineering--one of the greatest cities of the middle ages.

Also, it's the ruin left behind by the passing of the times. I look at Venice and I almost see it in shades of gray, like a passing dream. You were filthy rich, decadent, and extravagant, la serenissima, and also, debauched.

And you were beautiful. You still are. Like Helen Mirren. Somewhat.

Welcome to Venice. Fresh off the FrechaRosa onto the ferry stops.

Never thought I could be so agoraphobic and claustrophobic at the same time

Venice definitely has a tourist problem. Tens of thousands of tourists disgorge themselves onto the city everyday, a good size of them from cruise ships that make one day stops here. Can't imagine the local population being happy about that. I google lensed a graffiti in one of the more obscure neighborhoods here which read, "Tourists, go home." Us visitors need to do a better job of being mindful of our presence.

Probably not a good idea to amble around drunk in a neighborhood that is 50% water.

Labyrithine--the only way I could describe Venice's crazy alleys

The AirBnB we stayed at for the weekend was cozy and curiously roomy--vertically though. But look at that view!

...the bathrooms were a little much though. I could do without seeing myself poop in 15 different angles

Room for rent. Ground Floor. Affordable. Cheap. Free. Bring bucket.

Why would man build a city on a marshy collection of islands in the middle of the sea? Money of course. Venice's unique location made it a prime port in the 1100's as the gateway to the western routes for spices and trade coming from the Middle East and Asia. That plus their f0rmidable navy and favored tax status made them the prime destination for merchantmen ships.

Once you get away from the touristed areas, Venice almost feels like a ghost town. Curiously, that makes it easy for me to imagine how it must have looked like in the 1300's

The fabled Piazza San Marco. Must have been a sight in its heyday

...Here it was in the 1780's. Construction started in about 819 AD. <wikimedia>

I really try my hardest to imagine what this city must have looked like in the middle ages. I see myself in the piazza watching the galleys come to port spilling goods and riches onto the merchant republic. Then comes the 1300's and then wham, Black Death.

I wonder if they had to fight for parishioners

With space at a premium, buildings in Venice tend to impose themselves vertically, as well as crowd each other shoulder to shoulder. Lavish buildings plus sparse land area equals tiny alleyways. Or as in the picture above. No alleyways. I always found it curious to that these churches sidle up to each other like rivals. Almost like having a Starbucks right next to another Starbucks.

Venice canals are still pretty busy even today.

...And the Rialto. Must have been a quite a sight for homesick and seasick seamen on their way home.

Venice has a hundred bridges, and even more churches.

Of course we had to do the gondolas. It's a one-time deal for me though. Set us back maybe E80 for about 30 minutes plus the traffic. (Yes. Canal traffic)

I've always wondered how these marvelous buildings were built in the first place, and how they've withstood the elements and the salt water. Apparently there wasn't enough land to lay any foundation so the ancient engineers drove piles of waterproof wood to serve as the foundation on which the buildings were built. Normally wood rots. But the type of wood they used was extremely water resistant, coupled with the fact that the high concentration of silt and sediment eventually caused the wood to petrify. Pretty neat huh?

I don't mind getting tired in such a captivating place.

Italy is living history. Venice is no exception. And our trip was definitely one for the books.

We saw an asian couple get married here and have a wedding photoshoot in the quieter part of town. (Pro-tip, Venice is terribly romantic, and there are beautiful, less-trod neighborhoods that are a great backdrop).

The real heroes of Venice

I always wondered how Venice dealt with trash. Multiplied by the factor of 10,000 daily visitors.