Post by Kim on Jan 29, 2002 0:05:45 GMT -5
24 January (I think)
Venice, Italy
Hello from cold wet Venice!
Today is my third day here. I have been thinking off and on how to bring this city to you. It is most hard to get a good handle on actually. Maybe I will start from the backside of it....
If this city were in the US it would have probably been condemed and razed years ago! It is a maze of streets, with no apparent rhyme or reason, with thousands of tiny alleys branching off everywhere, many so narrow you have to go sideways to pass someone. There are no 'main' streets going north and south, east or west. And of course literally hundreds of bridges! The buildings, most of them, look in horrid repair. Walls bulging or foundations settled, towers noticeably leaning, stucco falling off and bricks underneath
visable. Shutters peeling and doorways seeming to be boarded up. It looks, on close inspection, a horrid mess!
And then......after wandering forever trying to find your way, all of a sudden you pop out into a lovely square or a beautiful vista down a canal. Or best yet, after wandering for almost an hour I reached the end of a tiny alleyway and WHAM I am right on the edge of San Marco Square! Stunning! It is very large, and the buildings are very old, but oh my! It takes your breath away. The basilica is fabulous, all mosiacs, gold, onion domes......across the lagoon to the islands there with their churches, bell towers and spires. Even in the rain and fog it is mesmerizing indeed.
There are no cars here, no buses, no trams. You can walk, or you can take a water taxi. It is quiet, except for the sound of the boats and thousands of marching feet! And walking is the best way to see it. I have just walked and walked, turning down this way and that, some dead end, some lead to tiny bridges over small canals, some end up in the bigger plazas. Every turn is an adventure as i never know what will be around that corner. The churches are a wonder, one more beautiful than the next. Open air markets are everywhere, and the fish market is amazing! It's so big, and full of fish and seafood, all laid out on tables with the bargaining going full force.
I have much to tell of individual sights and hope to get to that in another post. Overall......if you look hard, Venice is shabby, deteriorating, and well beyond it's prime. Don't look that close, it does not warrant it and from a distance it is a magical town, inviting you to partake of it's glories and the delights it has to offer. Walk walk and walk some more, you can never be bored in Venice!
ging
Venice, Italy
Hello from cold wet Venice!
Today is my third day here. I have been thinking off and on how to bring this city to you. It is most hard to get a good handle on actually. Maybe I will start from the backside of it....
If this city were in the US it would have probably been condemed and razed years ago! It is a maze of streets, with no apparent rhyme or reason, with thousands of tiny alleys branching off everywhere, many so narrow you have to go sideways to pass someone. There are no 'main' streets going north and south, east or west. And of course literally hundreds of bridges! The buildings, most of them, look in horrid repair. Walls bulging or foundations settled, towers noticeably leaning, stucco falling off and bricks underneath
visable. Shutters peeling and doorways seeming to be boarded up. It looks, on close inspection, a horrid mess!
And then......after wandering forever trying to find your way, all of a sudden you pop out into a lovely square or a beautiful vista down a canal. Or best yet, after wandering for almost an hour I reached the end of a tiny alleyway and WHAM I am right on the edge of San Marco Square! Stunning! It is very large, and the buildings are very old, but oh my! It takes your breath away. The basilica is fabulous, all mosiacs, gold, onion domes......across the lagoon to the islands there with their churches, bell towers and spires. Even in the rain and fog it is mesmerizing indeed.
There are no cars here, no buses, no trams. You can walk, or you can take a water taxi. It is quiet, except for the sound of the boats and thousands of marching feet! And walking is the best way to see it. I have just walked and walked, turning down this way and that, some dead end, some lead to tiny bridges over small canals, some end up in the bigger plazas. Every turn is an adventure as i never know what will be around that corner. The churches are a wonder, one more beautiful than the next. Open air markets are everywhere, and the fish market is amazing! It's so big, and full of fish and seafood, all laid out on tables with the bargaining going full force.
I have much to tell of individual sights and hope to get to that in another post. Overall......if you look hard, Venice is shabby, deteriorating, and well beyond it's prime. Don't look that close, it does not warrant it and from a distance it is a magical town, inviting you to partake of it's glories and the delights it has to offer. Walk walk and walk some more, you can never be bored in Venice!
ging