Venice is an experience as much as it is a show piece of extravagant museums and monuments of historical interests. It is a city rid of cars, a cultural potpourri of sights and sounds and a pleasurable wander in and about its curiously unique labyrinth of alleys and canals.
Once a bazaar of the world, it was an independent city-state through its control of the spice and silk trade with the East and became the richest trading nation in Europe. The city itself is a museum reflecting its past splendour. |
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Venice – the view. The imposing bell tower (Campanile di San Marco) in the centre
and on its right, the opulent Saint Mark’s Cathedral(Basilica di San Marco)
with the distinctive dome and the Doge’s Palace (Palazzo Ducale) respectively. |
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Picturesque view. Served by an extensive network of
canals in place of roads, the islands within the lagoon host
many beautiful cathedrals and their outstanding bell towers. |
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The window where the Doge who is an
elected leader, addressed the crowd at
his palace (Palazzo Ducale). |
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The famous Bridge of Sighs or Ponte dei Sospiri linking
the Doge’s Palace to the prisons. The name was said to be
derived from the sighs of condemned prisoners. In 1755,
the renowned prisoner Casanova resided here for 15 months. |
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St. Marks Cathedral with its glittering gold façade and multiple
architectural styles. It is known to house the body of its patron
saint St. Mark which was stolen
from the city of Alexandria by
Venice merchants in 828. The basic building was completed in
1094 and enhanced in its grandeur over the years. |
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St. Mark’s Square (Piazza San Marco) is a favourite meeting
place in front of the cathedral and adjacent to the bell tower. |
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The indispensable ‘streets’ - the canals that serve private
residences and commercial buildings. |
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The famous Murano glasses come from the island of Murano
and the secret of making them remained well guarded
for a long time. Its mosaic craft is equally popular. |
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Open markets and dining in a square and stall vendors
preparing for opening of business. There is also an
interesting and peculiar architecture to note -
Venetian
houses do not usually conform to conventional symmetry -
the windows are a case in point. |
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| Busy ‘street’ - gondolas manoeuvring through a narrow crossing. |
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The ‘Champs-Elysee’ of Venice, the Grand Canal (Canal Grande)
and
the landmark Rialto Bridge(Ponte di Rialto) built between
1588 – 1591. The Rialto was stable land that developed into
the city’s commercial centre and Europe’s first state
bank opened here in the 12th century. |
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The Grand Canal passes by many significant sites like palaces
(200 of them and some have been converted to museums),
government buildings and beautiful private residences. |
