My last day in Italy. Travelling alone is getting a little lonely by now. I’ve enjoyed the solitude and not having to consult anyone else about decisions throughout the day. Staying only two or three nights in a town doesn’t give you a chance to get to know the place as a visitor rather than a tourist. But it’s an efficient way to see a lot in a 2 week vacation.
Venice is like a museum itself and it lives up to its reputation and pictures as a romantic, one of a kind place filled with history and culture. Venice mid day in the summer and fall is hot and very crowded. My schedule has been to get out early and hit the touristy spots early and be back at hotel in afternoon to rest up before going out at night. Even with the vaporetto’s (water bus) there is still a lot of walking on cobblestone roads and up and down bridges and stairs. This is a not a place for the handicapped.
Friday was my museum day in Venice. Started early and jumped on the #2 Vaporetto in front of the train station – the quick boat with few stops between train station and San Marco. But I got on the one going in the opposite direction which turned out to be a good mistake. We went under the new bridge and by the ship ferry and around the southern side of the island through the wider Canale Della Guiudecca. And ended up at San Marco vaporetto stop anyways.
On my way to San Marco Basilica I noticed no lines going into the Doge’s Palace so I popped in and bought a ticket for later in the day (i.e. no waiting on line with prepaid ticket). There were already lines in front of the church but I had read a tip to avoid the lines in my Rome guidebook. Ateneo San Basso is located on a narrow Calle San Basso (30 yards to left of the church). Leave your bag and use your baggage card to go to front of the line. Nice.
St. Marks Basilica
This huge church is located at one end of St. Mark’s Square. The Italian name is San Marco. The style of the church had more of the Eastern Orthodox/Byzantine feel than some of the other Catholic/Renaissance churches. It was purposely built this way to underline Venice’s connection with Byzantium and keep it out of the hands of the Roman Empire back in 800 AD. The floors of the church are beautiful mosaics and they are wavy – not flat at all – because of the sinking of the island.
The church is named after St. Mark whose bones were buried here – many years after his death. The domes and frescos were amazing. Even this picture doesn’t capture that.
The Treasury is a small add-on museum showcasing the loot that the Venetian crusaders took during the plunder of Byzantine Constantinople (chalices, icons, bones of a saint, bishop’s staff)
Doges Palace
Next stop was the Doge’s Palace – seat of the Venetian government and home of its ruling duke during the height of Venice’s power.
The Hall of the Grand Council room was most impressive – where the nobility met to elect their senators and the doge. It’s most famous artwork is Paradise by Tintoretto – at 1700 square feet it is the largest oil painting in the world. The artist was selected by competition. The wall was completed in 1577 after a fire had destroyed previous paintings by Titian, Bellini and others.
The residential rooms weren’t particularly impressive. No original furniture remained and artwork hanging on the walls was from other places. The views from the upstairs rooms of the Basilica were impressive.
The basement of the Doge’s Palace contains several prison cells which housed prisoners during their interrogation and trial. You get there by walking down several flights of stairs and across a bridge. The prison area is a like a maze and without the little arrows telling you where to turn, you easily get lost. Not a place I’d like to be at night!
Time to take a break. I was determined to find a good place to eat lunch in Venice – one that didn’t have a turistico menu geared towards tourists. I found a little place called Osteria de Milenia, a quiet place to sit down, catch up on my email and get refreshed. I had a surly waiter who wasn’t happy to seat only one woman. I ordered the fish soup which is a Venetian specialty and an eggplant side dish and of course 250 ml of house red wine. Soup was outstanding – served steaming hot in a clay dish with a red sauce and full of mussels, octopus, squid, shrimp and fish. Just had to order that wine which I knew would knock me out. Barely made it home to get in a quick nap – was awakened by someone drilling on the cement right outside my window (arghh).
Chiesa de Frari (Church of Frari)
I went to this church based on recommendation by Rick Steves . He gave it two stars listing it as his favorite art experience in Venice because you see the art in the setting it was designed for (in situ) rather than in an museum. This is a Franciscan church and features work of many Renaissance greats – Donatello, Bellini and Titian. I agree – this was my favorite spot. The church itself was beautiful but was much simpler – without the ornate floors and painted ceilings. It was one of the only churches where I saw choir chairs in Italy.
I planned my visit to the Frari church right before it closed so it wouldn’t be so hot. Luckily it was on my side of the island so it did not require taking any boats or long walks. It was a pleasant stroll as the streets were filled with both tourists and locals but were not crowded.
Time to get ready for the trip home. My flight on Saturday was scheduled to leave Venice at 6:50am from Venice Marco Polo airport. I had specifically looked for a hotel close to the train station and within walking (versus boat) distance of Piazzale Roma (Venice’s car and bus terminus). My travel agent had suggested getting a taxi from Piazza Roma to the airport. But after doing a little research I decided a taxi was a waste of money. I scoped out the distance from hotel to the bus stop, bought a bus ticket and headed home. Shown here is Venice’s newest bridge, the Ponte della Costituzione (Bridge of the Constitution), which links Piazzale Roma with the Santa Lucia railway station and nearby neighborhoods. Had to carry my suitcase up and down that bridge (no ramp, all steps) so I’m glad I packed light on this trip.
Ciao Italia!