As paradoxical as may sound, it is better to skip your first time in Venice and start straight from the second time.
First time you will do the mandatory program: push through the crowds on Rialto, feed lazy doves on San Marco, buy a ‘made in Taiwan’ carnival mask and tick your bucket list on ‘visit Venice’ line. The beauty of second time is that you might very well skip San Marco and start your day early in the morning before the tourist crowds invade the city, admire a couple of Titians and Tintorettos in some lesser-known churches, sit through siesta in a hidden park surrounded by sculptures, a cute campo or alongside one of the canals – having a picnic with fresh cherries and prosecco, sketching, reading a book or working on your memoires. In the late afternoon emerge next to a gondola making shop, modern art exhibition or visit a couple of more churches trying to understand why Saint Lucy’s eyes lay on a plate or why a dog is depicted on frescoes as a saint. Or hop on a vaporetto and find yourself one-on-one with Byzantine mosaics on Torcello or having fresh fish lunch on Burano. Grab a spritz and admire the sunset on Venetian lagoon sitting on a bridge or the steps of another church. After dark walk by the streets – free from the tourists till the next day – and see how real life starts becoming visible…
But of course, most cannot start straight from the second time so before we introduce you to Venice we love let us have a look at what you are up to on your first visit.
So, you arrive to Venice onboard a cruise ship. You only have this one day on the way there or back. It is a hot summer and you are thinking how to spend your only day wisely. Well, chances are that still most probably you will end up spending most of your time between San Marco Square and Rialto Bridge: the two ‘must see’ attraction, the two major Venetian tourist traps.
Of course, they are indeed beautiful but since this will be the place where everybody (and I mean EVERYBODY) will go, you run serious risk of spending most of your day elbowing your way through dense crowds or standing in the sweating queue waiting to enter the Cathedral or Doge Palace. Just think that your cruise ship alone carries 2,500 guests, and there are several of them in the harbor today, plus all the one-day trippers vacationing on the sea side, plus those who come here purposely to see Venice, plus visitors of cinema festivals, art biennales… Well, this will help you compute the length of the line, the time you will spend queuing up and the number of other peoples’ back and butts in your pictures.
That’s true that in some cities (Naples, for example) it could be not very wise to deviate from the main tourist path. In some there is simply not a great deal to see aside from main attractions. Take Athens, for example: after you have seen Acropolis, Agora & Museums and shopped on Plaka there is not much to do in its faceless suburbs. But not in Venice. Most other European cities have its historical core with a market square, cathedral and city hall. But probably due to the fact that Venice grew as a constellation of small islands, each of them had its own church, its own main square (campo) that also served as water cistern and center of local life.
Each community was proud of it and commissioned the best architects and artists to build and decorate them. This is why even remote corners of Venice are full of exquisitely decorated churches, cute campos, bridges of all shapes, towers of all heights… Most of them are not even labeled on the tourist maps – those who make maps and guidebooks know that people will go to San Marco anyway. Plus Venetians are no simpletons – who wants hordes of tourists wandering in your backyard? – so the resorting to cunning: all streets or streets or campos where you can potentially go wrong have been thoughtfully equipped with the nizioletti (literally meaning ‘little bed sheet’, a Venetian sign painted on the house walls) pointing either at San Marco and Rialto or ‘Alla Ferrovia’ (to railway station) or to Piazzale Roma (bus station and parking). This way they subtly guide the crowds to follow a couple of beaten tracks to and from the two main attractions.
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| A typical campo with cistern underneath |
But the more intriguing and rewarding is to discover your own little corners that – it seems – no one else knows about. Venice – as you see – is much bigger that the 500 meters diameter area between San Marco and Rialto. In fact it consists of 6 areas called sestieri (meaning ‘one sixth’). Each of them used to have certain autonomy and was administered by its own procurator. This autonomy probably contributed to such a quantity and quality of churches in every sestiere as each procurator was trying to show off that his area is the most beautiful. Nowadays it is more a historical division and even some Venetians not always know where some of the sestieri borders are. In the following posts we will show you a couple of routes around lesser known areas of Venice and you will be amazed to see that you can see gilded Byzantine style mosaics not only in San Marco, there are many Titian and Tintoretto works outside of Ducal Palace and there are over 400 bridges here. So even though Rialto is definitely the most famous and beautiful, you stand much better chances of taking pictures of ‘us on the bridge’ on quieter bridges around the city.
But since today is our first day let us have a look at the two ‘must see’ attractions.
Piazza San Marco (San Marco Square). Since it is the only official square in Venice (all other small squares are called campo) the locals simply call it Piazza. Full of people and fat insolent doves. Surrounded by empty overpriced cafés. The aim of most tourists coming to Venice. It is pointless to complain about the abundance of people here: a sort of tourist police existed here as early as in XIII century. Better to come here early in the morning, be the first one to see the Basilica (it opens at 9:00am), then disappear right before the crowds invade the Piazza and return for the sunset. Then stay to admire it in the dark: as it gets darker the street lights become brighter and you literally see the basilica in the new light. Do not stay next to Piazza for the lunch: it would most likely be a big financial mistake that would probably forever put you off Venetian cuisine. But don’t you worry: it is possible to have a nice meal in Venice. More about it later. First let us have a glance at the Basilica.
San Marco cathedral. Gilded. Shining. Mosaics. Reliefs. Sculptures. More gold. Stone carvings. Byzantine elements perched on top of gothic arches. Gothic elements perched on top of Byzantine arches. The display of the elements brought by Venetian seafarers from all over the world. It seems the Cathedral was built without any regard to architectural styles, proportions or symmetry, but on the edge of chaos and disharmony a surprisingly harmonious edifice emerged. There are so many styles mixed together that the Cathedral seems surprisingly natural in its eclecticism. It is a monument to Venetian might, exhibition of war trophies rather than place of pray and worship…
As the cathedral was a triumph of Venetian power, a sort of exhibition of Venetian achievements, some elements adorning it have a history of their own. For example 4 gilded bronze horses on the main façade – they were stolen so many times! Some believe they were casted by Lysippus, the court sculptor of Alexander the Great himself and were initially placed in Alexandria. It is believed that they were then stolen for the first time – by Roman Emperor Octavian August who used the sculpture to adorn his Arch of Triumph. The following Emperors were busy stealing from each other: the horses then re-appeared on Arch of Nero, then on Arch of Trajan until they were stolen again. This time they were brought to Constantinople where they decorated the Royal Hippodrome. In XIII century Venetians helped to organize a crusade to regain the Holy Land and Byzantine Emperor allowed Venetians to camp in the city hoping they would strengthen him in the war against Turks. But treacherous Venetians had no such intention: they took all the riches from the city and left it even weaker than before. The horses were taken along with other treasures and for 6 centuries they overlooked San Marco Square until Venetian Republic fell in 1797. It was conquered by Napoleon who decided to use the horses to decorate his Arch of Triumph on Carousel Square in Paris. However Napoleon’s Empire was short-lived and in 1815 the horses were returned to Venice while Parisians can still admire the copy (I do not think Venetians are planning to return them to Alexandria, though). After that the horses were not stolen anymore, but had to leave their honorable spot 3 more times: twice during the bombarding of World Wars I & II and finally – in order to better preserve the unique sculpture – taken inside the Cathedral. The façade is now adorned with yet another copy.
Unfortunately, the crowd around it is so dense and the queue of people trying to get in wraps around it so it is virtually impossible to take a general view. The best you can hope for is something like this… You might try 4am, though…
Surprisingly enough, Saint Marc was not the first patron saint of Venice. Before that Venice was cared for by Saint Theodor and his temple was located not far from where San Marco is now. But when Venetians got rid of Byzantine protectorate in IX century they needed to confirm it symbolically: by replacing Byzantine Theodore by a more prominent figure. Here came handy a legend that Saint Marc was hiding from storm on one of the Venetian islands when he was visited by an angel greeting him with ‘May peace be with you’ (Pax tibi Marce evangelista meus). Venetians figured this was a sign he should rest in peace here, in Venice. So in the IX century they organized expedition to Alexandria and stole Saint Marc’s relics. In order to smuggle it out of the country, the relics were hidden under the layer of pork meat and Muslim customs did not even want to touch it. Of course, after such important saint found his resting place here, poor Saint Theodor was de-crowned and Saint Marc took over the responsibility. The words said by angel found place on the Venetian flag and lions – the symbol of Saint Marc –his paw resting on the open book with ‘Pax tibi’ appeared in form of sculptures, reliefs or paintings on pretty much every surface possible.
Saint Theodor however was not totally forgotten. His statue (composed of pieces of several Roman statues) with a crocodile like animal (composed of more than 50 fragments) still adorns the Western column on San Marco square. The Eastern column is decorated by a Persian IV century chimera that – by adding the book with ‘Pax Tibi’ – was converted into yet another lion, symbol of Saint Marc. The two columns not only constituted the main entrance for especially important guests arriving to Doge Palace by the sea, but also a place of execution for petty criminals. Venetians would come to San Marco in the morning to see hanging upside down between the columns the last victim of ‘The Council of 10’ – sort of Venetian KGB established to protect the Republic from anyone trying to usurp the power or threaten it in any other manner. The last body was hung here in 1752.
And even though today the hordes of tourists wander here without prejudice, a real Venetian will never walk between the two columns. It is considered a bad omen – something like a black cat. Some historians believe there were supposed to be three columns but the middle one fell the very first victim of the spell: it was dropped in the Canal and it was decided not to reinstall it.
Sailing past San Marco Square onboard a cruise ship gives the view of the cathedral, the infamous two columns as well as Campanile (bell tower on the left) and Doge Palace (on the right).
Campanile with its height of 99 meters is the highest building in the city and therefore was used not only as a bell tower but also a watch tower on the lookout for fire outbreaks, lighthouse and even a place for public humiliation (until the XIV century priests established guilty of sodomy were hung from Campanile in cages). Nowadays it is also used to warn the residents about the arrival of acqua alta – high water – when the level of water in the canals rises by over a meter and the entire Piazza is under water. It is here where Galileo demonstrated his new invention – telescope. Today tourists love going up the tower in order to admire the views. Ironically, back in the days the foreigners were not allowed to go up the bell tower unless it was high tide: Venetians did not want them to see the layout of sandbanks and canals in the lagoon. Today’s Campanile – though restored very closely to the original – is however a replica from the beginning of the XX century. Some say the original bell tower collapsed as the foundation was not properly reinforced (only a careless cat died), even though some malicious tongues say it was blown up in order to rebuild it with elevators inside.
Doge's Palace – Gothic building of XIV-XV century – was the residence of Doge, the Head of the Republic as well as the location of the main court, secret service archive and maritime ministry. The balcony on the façade was used as a sort of rostrum from where the Doge greeted the most important guests. Was it Venetian irony that the Doge had the most important guests at his feet? Nobody knows.
Nowadays the symbolic meaning of having such a big building perched atop the tracery arches could seem as a prophecy of the fall of Venetian Republic. But back in the days it made a strong impression on the visitors coming from heavily fortified castles: Doge of Venice (protected by the lagoon) could afford to have the first floor of his palace open and inviting.
Interesting is the fact that the position of Doge (coming from Latin duc - leader, then transformed into duca and finally doge) was introduced as early as VII century when the islands of the Venetian lagoon were united under one rule. For centuries the Doges were appointed from Byzantine Empire but then the Venetians were granted the right to elect them. The Doges rights and obligations were outlined in Venetian Constitution that took effect in 1310 – one of the first in Europe! – while the real power belonged to the ‘Council of 10’ as well as the ‘Grand Council’ consisting of around 2,000 members.
There were 120 Doges elected during Venetian history until the last one was forced to seize his power in 1791 after Venice was conquered by Napoleon.
Doge Palace contains numerous paintings, scupltures and other artifacts but the line to get in is very long. With all honesty, it is a bit more pleasant then the queue to San Marco – at least it is in the shaded terrace, but do you really want to spend your precious time in Venice doing this?
But again if you feel absoluely compelled to visit Doge’s palace try to come after 1pm till about 1.5 hours to closing (7pm in the summer and 5pm in the winter) as 1.5 hours is the minimum enough to briefly cover the route (with the direction being strictly predfined). And before 1pm you can hide from the heat (and the crowds) in the Museum Correr: it shares the combined ticket of Musei di Piazza San Marco with the Ducal Palace.
So, early morning – the Basilica. Late morning or early afternoon by the combined ticket for Museum Correr and stay there for the siesta, relocate to the Ducal Palace and emerge on the Piazza right before the sunset to capture the amazing light conditions.
While you are still on San Marco Square do not forget to have a glance at Torre dell’Orologio (Clock Tower) with the winged lion and two moors on the top – moors being a nickname as the sculptures became dark over time. Not only does it show time but also moon phase, time of the year and the position of the Sun in Zodiac signs. Note that its face is divided into 24 hours: this was the first practice after mechanical clocks were implemented instead of sundials. The day began at sunset and had 24 hours. Soon however it was seen that counting up to 24 strokes of a bell is annoying and could lead to an error. It was then simplified with the bells striking only 6 times instead of 24. Only during Napoleonic wars ‘Italian’ system was replaced by ‘French’ one, with clock faces being divided I to XII and days beginning at midnight instead. You can also find clocks with 24-hour faces in Doge’s Palace but also at Church of San Giacomo di Rialto, Church of Santi Apostoli and at Fondaco dei Tedeschi.
Walk around the cathedral admiring the play of light and shades – different every time.
On its sides find gryphons – mythological animals having the body of a lion and the head and wings of an eagle which symbolically combined the terrestrial and the heavenly. By the way, according to legends, gryphons mated with horses producing a creature called hippogryph. However as it is not an easy task (in the Middle Ages there was even an expression ‘to cross a gryphon with a mare’ referring to something impossible), the hippogryph became a symbol of impossible love.
Then walk around the Ducale Palace colonnade and pay attention to reliefs adorning capitals: each one is unique and different and they all tell a story. The palace, in effect, is a sort of an open book. The central role is given to the three corner sculptures that are much bigger than others: you begin ‘reading’ from The Creation of Adam, continue to The Drunkenness of Noah and The Judgement of Solomon. These particular biblical topics were chosen to highlight the role of Christian precepts as the bases of political structure of Venetian Republic. On the other capitals you can also find Kings and Emperors starting from the wise Nebuchadnezzar to the Roman Emperor Trajan. There are also Seven Deadly Sins (the young girl who uncovers her breast dazing at herself in the mirror is Lust, while Gluttony is raising a cup of wine as he sinks his teeth into a leg of meat, Vanity is crowned with flowers and is furiously glared by Envy, an old woman surrounded by a dragon and serpent). There are also Months and Planets, Crafts, Peoples of Various Latitudes, Fruits and so on. The columns you see on the Piazzetta now are the replicas (the originals being moved to the Ducale Palace) but they help you better place them in the context where they were intended to be.
It is difficult to decipher all of them but we can help you with some.
Birds with their Prey with realistic depiction of the birds.
Months of the Year – starting with Mars, as Venetian calendar started from March (far left). So, reading anticlockwise we see the windy spring season of Ram symbolized by a man playing a double-belled horn (in the middle), then April and May governed by Venus surrounded by flowers and holding a small bull, the sign of Taurus. June has cherries, in August the tubs for the grape harvest are prepared so September is adorned like Bacchus with branches and bunches of grapes. October and November winnow and store grain, December slaughters pig while January warming himself at a fire is shown with three eyes and two noses – tribute to ancient Roman two-faced god of beginning and end Janus who gave his name to the month. February ends the year by grilling fish(on the right), which is also allusion to the Zodiac sign of Pisces.
The Latin Peoples – depicting a family with males and females of different ages wearing traditional headwear.
There is even A Love Story – starting from a young men meeting the girl of his dreams (upper left), continuing with probably one of the first erotic scenes in medieval art (ok, most things are covered with a blanket :)), then the child is born (upper right) and ends with the child’s death (lower left). A circle of life that opens up on each of the side of the capital.
And then there are others whose meaning we could not decipher...
Then – if you feel you must pay tribute to the two main attractions – head towards Rialto. Snap a couple of shots from distance: the closer you get, the more crowded it will become.
Why is Rialto Bridge so popular? Well, until 1854 when Academia Bridge was built it was the only bridge connecting the two banks of Grand Canal. This area is believed to be the most ancient part of Venice, this is where Venice as we know it started (even though the most inhabited islands in the lagoon used to be now-abandoned Torcello, Mazzorbo – whose name derives from ‘major urbs’ – big city – and Lido with Malamocco being the capital until IX century). In the VIII-IX century the ‘high bank’ – Rivo Alto – was an important center of trade receiving goods from abroad, housing markets and storage facilities. But surprisingly enough – despite the fact that Venetians were building stone bridges as early as XII century – it was not until the XVI century that they decided to build a bridge across the Grand Canal. The architectural competition was organized and among other Michelangelo , Andrea Palladio (who gave name to the style of many Italian villas) and Jacopo Sansovino (considered the main architect of Venetian republic) took place in the contest. Ironically, it was won by Antonio da Ponte (ponte means ‘bridge’ in Italian) – just like his name itself prompted his future victory. The construction took three years and over 12,000 polls were rammed in during the construction. Nowadays Rialto is considered the most beautiful bridge in Venice and – well, one of the main tourist traps. Numerous souvenir shops and overpriced restaurants nest on or in the proximity of the bridge.
Once you climb on the bridge you can see how big this trap actually is. As far as eye can see there are people, people, people. Buying, selling, desperately trying to take pictures, being pushed by other people trying to take pictures…
Well, I hope we were able to convince you that – even though the two main attractions are worth a visit – the crowds, lines and heat do not add to the pleasures of exploring Venice.
So go out to the Grand Canal boardwalk Riva degli Schiavoni for a breath of fresh air…
…before you dive back into the labyrinth of less famous – but not less beautiful! – streets, churches and bridges.
