The Adventure Begins!
We had a full day planned today despite the heat and humidity. Our first adventure began with a tour to the Doges Palace. It turned out that the doges were men who basically were in charge of Venice. A doge was like the head honcho of the group of men who made laws and governed the territory. He was chosen for life, and this palace was where he lived.
Clockwise fro top-left: Doges Palace, inner courtyard stairs to second level of palace, two paintings (most paintings were commissioned by individual doges who always had themselves included in the painting), courtroom of Palace, huge room that would accommodate more than 2,000 people for specific gatherings
This palace was also the place where trials were conducted, and so it was also connected to a prison. There were two levels on the prison. The upper level was for political prisoners, and they were incarcerated in relative comfort. One of the more famous political prisoners here was Casanova. The lower level was for the “common” criminal. Living conditions here were harsh, and many prisoners died due to poor nutrition, sanitation, and general care. There was a bridge that connected the palace to the prison. It was known as the “Bridge of Sighs” because the prisoners sighed as they crossed knowing they would probably never leave the prison alive. There were tiny openings where they could get one last glimpse of the outside world before being placed in their cells.
Clockwise from top-left: Walking the Bridge of Sighs, prisoner’s last view of outside world as he walked the bridge, cell bars, lower level cell, prison corridor
The second part of our tour took us to St. Mark’s square to see the Basilica of St. Mark. The square itself was huge. There was a bell and clock tower as well as two large pillars at its entrance. Between these two pillars, public executions were held. Superstitious Italians will not pass between these pillars for fear of bringing bad luck upon themselves. Once in the basilica, no photos were allowed, but it was an interesting structure. Lots of gold-plated mosaics and paintings on the outside of the basilica. It is said the “body” of Mark is here. Our guide said that his body had been in Alexandria, but the Venetians “borrowed” it, and then never gave it back. He is supposedly in the coffin in the church. The inside of the church is dark, with blue marble columns, lots of wooden chairs and a very uneven floor due to the foundation settling beneath it. The floor has an intricate patter in it, and there are large red curtains throughout the basilica. There is a special door for the doge to enter and attend the services, which is also used for special people that would want to attend the basilica’s service. The outside of the basilica is very ornate, and in its baroque arches there are paintings of various events. One is the “Last Judgment,” and another is the theft of Mark’s body from Alexandria.
Clockwise from top-let: painting in outer arch, front of basic, St. Mark’s Square tower, Venice’s symbol – the lion, arch painting that depicts the theft of Mark’s body
Part three of our tour was a motor boat cruise through the canals. We saw lots of different bridges and buildings. We even came out of one canal into the Venice lagoon and nearly intercepted a regatta race! Boats are everywhere on the canals, going in every direction. When one gets too close to another, they simply honk a horn and the offending boat veers out of the way!
Clockwise from top-left: apartment building, heading up a side canal, part of the Grand Canal, regatta races in Venice Lagoon, heading for a bridge on a side canal, passing the Doges Palace in a motor boat, the Rialto Bridge.
After that, John and I decided to go for a gondola ride. We started in the Grand Canal near the Doges Palace, turning into a smaller canal and sailing under the Bridge of Sighs. This must be a popular canal for gondolas because when we entered it, we found we were not alone! There were a lot of other gondolas coming and going! Since gondolas have no horns, it was interesting to see them all maneuver around each other, barely missing one another as they passed, or tilting the gondola to miss the side of a bridge. It was lots of fun! We even passed one gondola where a man was serenading the couple riding in it.
Clockwise from top-left: Heading into the Grand Canal, gondola traffic jam, Us and our gondolier, heading for the Bridge of Sighs, view of the side canal we were in from the Bridge of Sighs
It was a perfect way to end our time in Venice. Tomorrow, we leave for Rome.