Venice

One more reason for the nickname of Club Med being assigned to Aviano, Italy: Venice could be reached in 45 minutes by train. In fact it is a fairly common practice for people stationed at Aviano to take a train into Venice for dinner. Imagine that.


Venice is a unique city for many reasons. First, it is believed to be slowly sinking (about 2 inches every 10 years) and can easily flood during rain storms. Instead of cars and roads, Venice has neither and instead commutes on the hundreds of canals located throughout the city (giving it the reputation for being a city of romance). So why did they build such an amazing city on marsh lands?


During the height of the Roman Empire, the Venetian Lagoon was sparsely populated with local fishermen and salt workers. Once the Roman Empire began to fall, the refugees from the mainland began moving onto the islands of the lagoon hoping to escape the successive waves of invading barbarians.

Initially the buildings were modest two-story structures and were lightly constructed to minimize the weight and building material. With the steady influx of settlers the residents were challenged with building on flat yet muddy islands. They determined that the land would have to be drained and strengthened and somehow enlarged. To provide support for the new buildings the Venetians used thousands of wooden pillings that were driven into the mud and placed so close to each other that they touched. An interesting scientific fact is that wood submerged under water without oxygen will petrify over time and become stone-like. Many houses today still stand on these piles of sunken wooden pillings that were sunk over 1,000 years ago.


What about the 150 canals? Well it is believed that the formation of the canals started with the de-silting of waterways in the delta to allow vessels to pass and each canal evolved to its present state.


Venice is made up of over 118 islands, 150 canals, and over 400 bridges. In order to reach Venice, you have two options: train or boat. We opted to take the train to the Santa Lucia ferrovia and then took a "vaporetto" (or water bus) so we could see Venice from the Grand canal. What follows are a random selection of photos taken during our 30-minute ride to Piazza San Marco.






Looking down one of the 150 canals as we continued down the Grand Canal.

One of the three bridges that cross the Grand Canal.

The Santa Maria della Salute in the background.

Looking out from Piazza San Marco.

Arriving at Piazza San Marco and you can easily see why this is the most popular square in Venice. Standing at the shore looking in, you see the Doge Palace on your right followed by St. Mark's Basilica further down, the Logetta and Campanile facing you at the end, and the Clocktower. Given the popularity, this is also the one place in Venice that you will generally find very crowded (except in the early morning hours). The line into St. Mark's Basilica looked to be over 1 hour long, so we enjoyed the sights, took some pictures, and forged on.

A close up of Doge's Palace in Piazza San Marco.

St. Mark's Basilica in Piazza San Marco.

On the left, the Lion of Venice (symbol of the city) in Piazza San Marco.


Facade of the St. Mark's Basilica.

One of the many Gondolla's and Gondoliers passing through a narrow canal. Did we lay out 100 Euro for a ride? Uh....no. Next time........

Yes, even in Venice, Italy you can get it your Burger King fix.

Looking at the Ponte di Rialto bridge that is made of marble and was constructed between 1588 and 1591 (an architectural feat for its time).

Andrea enjoying the sun on the Grand Canal.

A Gondola jam?

Looking down on the Grand Canal from the Rialto bridge. Watching the masses of boats navigate the Canal and not hit each other was fascinating. With simple hand gestures, quick loud yelps, and eye contact, these boat drivers make their daily routine look like a well-choreographed act.

Me all smiles after my daily Gelato.

One of the many stores selling hand-crafted Venetian masks.

There is fresh produce available throughout Venice. Watching the process of the food being taken off the boats onto the shores and eventually into the stores was fascinating to watch. Space is a precious commodity so the store owners have become very resourceful and efficient towards their processes.

This was our view as we took a break and enjoyed a nice Italian coffee on the patio somewhere in San Polo (one of the six areas that make up Venice).

Andrea standing in one of the many "calle's" or streets.

Andrea having a chat and enjoying the warm sun.

Over 150 canals and 400 bridges and I must say, the view from each is picture-worthy.

Looking out on the Grand canal before entering the train station and heading back. While we were sad to end the day, we are excited to return and continue exploring the city. After all in Venice you do not become lost, you simply find new and exciting areas to explore.