Venice and Neighboring Islands

We spent the last three days of our Italian holiday in Venice.  In the middle ages Venice was the second largest city in Europe and most likely the richest in the world.  Most of the magnificent buildings were build during this time period.  

St Mark's Basilica's bell tower dominates St. Mark's square. In 828 merchants from Venice stole the relics of St. Mark the Evangelist from Alexandria.  The Doge's Palace on the right side of this photo adjoins St. Mark's Basilica.

A fresco over one of the entries into St. Mark's.

Another fresco.

St. Mark's square early in the day before the crowds show up.

A gondolier preparing to go under the Bridge of Sighs. This bridge connects the Doge's Palace with the jail cells.  I wouldn't have wanted to be a prisoner in one of these cells.
 

The courtyard at the Doge's Place.

Pictures are not allowed in the Doge's place but I had to take one just to give you an idea of the splendor. During the middle ages Venice's leadership model was unique. The Doge was an elected ruler.  He was a member of the aristocratic class.  The Doge was elected for life. There was a large body called the Grand Council who elected the Doge. The Grand Council named ten of it's members to a Council of Ten.  The Council of Ten oversaw Venice's diplomatic and intelligence services, managed its military affairs, and handled legal matters and enforcement.  Therefore they provided a check on the Doge's power. You could only be on the Council of Ten for one year. 

Kathy on the Balcony of St. Mark's Basilica.

Venice has lots of small canals and narrow lanes.  While I found our hotel easily it must have be just luck.  We went on a 30 minute walk to find a laundry that was 6 minutes from our hotel.  I felt like Alice down the rabbit hole.  Lots of dead ends. Narrow streets that twist and turn and yet are shown on maps as being straight.  There is hardly any green space in Venice.  Everything is paved over.  And the locals have dogs and many choose not to pickup after their animal.  So if you head to Venice avoid small puddles and watch out for the other stuff.

The Grand Canal lapping into a building. There were signs of settlement across the islands.  A few leaning buildings.  I wouldn't want to come to Venice in October or November when high tides can cover St. Mark's square.

Grand Canal from the Rialto bridge.

Evening light gives the city a pretty glow.

A private water taxi.  These water taxis are everywhere.  There is also a public water taxi system called the Vapoetto.  The boats on this system have regular stops and schedules.

There are boats of all sizes in Venice.  This one has quite a load.  In the background is a Vaporetto boat.  They stop at the floating docks with the yellow stripe.

A captain going up with his ship.

There are some smaller scenic canals.

Another scenic canal.  Not all of the smaller canals are scenic.  Many are just narrow water courses running between two buildings.

Kathy and I caught a water taxi to Murano island to check out the glassblowers and the glass shops.  Then we took Vaporettos to Mazzorbo and Burano islands.

A vineyard on Mazzorbo.  It was nice to see some open space and some green grass.

Burano is known for the colorful buildings lining the canals and streets.

Laundry and colorful buildings.

A young lady poising for a picture in Burano.

An example of one of the leaning towers I mentioned.

Kathy and I happen to be in Venice for the Festa Del Redentore.  This is a festival that is popular with the Venetians as it combines a religious theme with a spectacular celebration.The festival dates back to 1577.  It celebrates the city's deliverance from a terrible plague.

For the festival they build a 330 meter pontoon bridge across the Giudecca Channel. The bridge leads to Palladio's "Redentore" Church.  This church was commissioned in 1577 to celebrate the city's deliverance from the plague.  The pontoon bridge only exist for 48 hours each year.

Venetian families stake out their spots along the channel early in the day.  They bring out tables and chairs and have dinner along the channel waiting for the fireworks.  In addition to the people along the bank there are thousands of boats out on the water with families enjoying food and drinks.

The fireworks don't start until 11:30.  They last about 45 minutes and are pretty spectacular.  I thought I would share 6 of the 200 pictures I took.

I had never seen firework faces before.

Our trip to Italy ended with a bang.  Venice was nice to see once but it was our least favorite stop on our tour of Italy.  Maybe the 104 heat index had a little to do with that.

Look for a blog from Banff in a couple weeks.  Should be a lot cooler there.