The following day, right after breakfast, we took a vaporetto (water taxi) and sailed back to join the rest of the crowd in exploring Venice. The Grand Canal certainly had a different vibe in the daytime compared to its more subdued version the night before.
As the main traffic corridor in the city, it was teeming with gondolas, motor boats, and other vaporettos filled with tourists like us. The ride was like a trip across time, from the 12th to the 18th century, and across architectural styles - Byzantine, Gothic, Renaissance, Baroque, and Neo-Classical, each with its own Venetian touch.
Our Tour Director told us that in Venice's heydey, the "who's who" of Venetian society made sure they had grand palaces built along this main canal. It even became a contest of sorts, in terms of beauty and grandeur, which to this day, still exemplify the wealth and power of the Venetian Republic.
Since Venice was also a centre of trade, fondaco houses also line the canals. These are buildings that used to house both the warehouses and the residences of the merchants. Today, the most popular fondaco, Fondaco dei Tedeschi, is a luxury goods emporium. Aside from the colourful buildings, four picturesque bridges, including the iconic Rialto Bridge, also cross the Grand Canal.
Looking at this scene from our vaporetto was like viewing a moving painting. No wonder, Venice is dubbed as the most romantic city. During the day, the vibrant hues under the brilliant sun exude charming elegance, while at night, its flickering lights create an air of mystery and magic. I told my husband that I couldn't decide which I liked better - Venice at night or Venice during the day. "Same here," he said.
When we got off, we started our exploration with a historical walk led by a local guide through some of the lesser known quarters of city. She shared with us some of the secrets of the Venetian labyrinth, showed us its hidden treasures, took us to inconspicuous but significant sites, and told us their back stories. It was an interesting walk, that's for sure. It would be fascinating to get lost in Venice's maze and make a few discoveries of our own.
After the tour, we visited a glass shop where we watched a glass-blowing demonstration by a master craftsman, and afterwards browsed around the shops selling authentic Murano glassware. Venice is known for its long tradition of glass-blowing, so this is something you should not miss when there. The glass products - vases, plates, bowls, drinking glasses, and decorations were beautiful, but too bulky to take home. We bought some funky Murano glass pendants instead, to bring home to family and friends.
After the group broke up for some independent sightseeing and shopping, my husband and I visited the the Basilica di San Marco, originally the chapel of the Doge but has gained bigger importance. This is because the remains of St. Mark that arrived from Alexandria were interred here. It is said that they were stolen by Venetian merchants and that they snuck them past the Muslim guards by hiding them under layers of pork barrels
The basilica's interior is clad in mosaics, marble columns, and jade and alabaster decorations surrounding a golden altar (made with real gold) studded with gems. It is filled with overwhelming riches and treasures that we later learned were mostly brought home by Crusaders from Constantinople, including the four famous horses that were once part of a quadriga in the Hippodrome. I guess that aside from giving glory to God by making this place of worship truly astounding, the rich and powerful Venetians also used this church as an avenue to flaunt their wealth and power to visiting guests.
The exterior is equally ornate, with elaborate sculptures, beautiful reliefs, and more mosaics. However, the five domes that give the basilica its distinct shape are actually fake. They were built from wood with a thin cover of lead and are actually completely empty. Their sole purpose was to make the church appear more imposing. We all know that due to its frail foundation, it is not advisable to erect super tall structures in Venice, but the Venetians had some tricks up their sleeves to create an optical illusion of more grandeur, as if the treasures inside were not enough to impress anyone.
We skipped going up the Campanile, Venice's iconic 9th-century tower, because the line up was too long. We did learn that it actually collapsed in 1902 (due to structural issues and the fact that it barely withstood several earthquakes throughout the centuries). It was rebuilt between 1903 and 1912 exactly as it had been, but of course, the engineers made sure that it would stay up this time.
The Piazza San Marco was a lot busier than it was the night before, with vendors selling all kinds of wares dotting the plaza, and of course, the resident pigeons scattered about and seemingly enjoying all the attention from the crowd - people feeding them, model-wanna-bes taking crazy shots with them, or playful kids just running through them. We did not join this frenzy. My husband is not too crazy about birds in general.
We walked to the Rialto Bridge, the most popular bridge in Venice. From there, one gets a fantastic view of the city. But aside from its ornate design, its shops are also crowd-drawers. There was so much to look at – fine velvets and silks woven into bags, scarves, and pillows; quality leather goods; hand-made Venetian masks; Venetian glass jewelry; Venetian glass chandeliers; hand-made paper; miniatures; and other craft products. At the market area, we perused fresh seafood and produce, wine, and local food products such as, olive oil, balsamic vinegar, pasta, sauces and dressings, cheese, cold cuts, and bottles of limoncello. We were like kids in a candy store.
For lunch, we scouted the maze of streets filled with restaurants, trattorias (smaller, family-run restaurants), and osterias (simple, cheaper version of the former) I am amazed at how the Italians have different names for different kinds of eateries, depending on what they serve and how they serve them (don't get me started).
My husband was truly excited for he loves Italian food, though it was mentioned to us that the cuisine of Veneto is not as good as those from anywhere else in Italy. We saw waiters standing outside handing out menus and brochures of the day’s specials. We avoided these places for they were most probably tourist traps serving not-so-good food with inflated prices. We decided to look for small holes in the wall.
We found a charming little eatery in the corner and after checking the menu, we got a table inside and ordered. My husband had a risotto plate, always his staple when having an Italian meal, and a veal dish. As usual, I tried the local trademark food – squid and its black ink. I was told to look for the word seppia or Al Nero di Seppia on the menu. I got a plate of squid ink pasta which was really good, despite its unappetizing appearance due to the colour of the ink. It actually reminded me of a Filipino dish called adobong pusit which is squid cooked in soya, vinegar, and its own black ink, and usually eaten with white rice.
My dish did not look as black as the other ones I've seen in so many advertised photos and menus (and I figured out afterwards that some places use squid-ink pasta with the squid-ink sauce for a richer colour), but when my plate arrived, there was the whiff of sea tang and underneath my ink-coated spaghetti were slices of squid cooked to perfection. The pasta was al dente and the ink flavour was savoury but not too overwhelming. It was delicious. I just had to make sure my teeth were not stained black after my meal.
After lunch, our group reassembled for a gondola ride along the canals. Of course, we had to have a gondola ride in Venice. As cliché as it sounded, it's simply a must-do!
We shared a gondola with the South African family we had the pleasure of getting to know during the morning walking tour - the grandma, the mom, and the two daughters. The mom said her husband was back home, busy with a project, so this trip was an "all ladies' trip" for them. They are well-travelled and we bonded over our common love and fascination for Namibia, which we visited the year prior. They, of course, told us that should we decide to go to South Africa one day, we should contact them.
It was a very humid afternoon, but despite the heat and sweat, we enjoyed the sights along the busy Grand Canal, as well as the quieter back canals. Our gondolier, dressed in the standard outfit of black pants, striped shirt, and wide-brimmed hat, deftly maneuvered our small vessel through these very narrow waterways.
I asked if he sings, but he just smiled and said he’s not really a singer. I joked and said I would gladly sing on his behalf, but I didn’t know any Italian songs and that I might run the risk of getting arrested because I did not have a licence to sing in Italy. He just laughed. He answered a lot of our questions though and provided pertinent information about the places we passed by as he expertly navigated the waters with one oar while balancing. Our leisure ride was peppered with interesting conversation, some attempted singing, and lots of jokes. Our South African co-riders were quite hilarious and when our gondola ride ended, we felt like we reached the denouement of an adventure story. We posed for a picture with our friendly gondolier before we said goodbye.
I wanted to get some coffee, a real Italian espresso, albeit a decaf version, so our Tour Director suggested a good bacaro (wine bar that also serves coffee) that was close by. She reminded us that in Venice, there is a huge price difference between eating and drinking while standing up by the counter or sitting down and being waited on. Sometimes, the cost of the same item goes up significantly, even double, as soon as you get a table. "Do not sit down," she said.
Most Venetians actually eat their lunch standing up. After all, most dishes are served nibble style - something like the Spanish tapas, but different. They are called cicchetti and can vary from bite-sized rolls with cold cuts to tramezzinis (triangular sandwiches on white bread) or from polpettes (fried meat or fish balls) to assorted vegetable antipasti. These are paired with wine or spritz, but since I could not have alcohol, I wanted decaf coffee instead. I got myself a double shot of piping hot (decaf) espresso and two small pieces of seafood cicchetti . Both were good. I was tempted to get some more but reminded myself that we were going to have a big dinner that night.
And speaking of coffee, let it be known that Italians don't drink cappuccino after 11 am. It's just not done. Some say that consuming milk after a big meal will screw up your digestion, but I do know of some Italians that still drink their cappuccino in the afternoons. However, when in Italy, if you make that heinous mistake of asking for a cappuccino outside breakfast time, it's like announcing that you are a tourist. And as for me ordering a decaf espresso, I had a perfectly valid excuse.
We wanted to go to The Doge's Palace, but there was a long wait to get in. The Doge's Palace served as the residence of the Doge, making it the seat of the government in those days. It is now a museum and one of the most popular places to visit in Venice, hence, the long line-up that we did not dare challenge. I heard there's a special tour that would show you the nooks and crannies of The Doge's Palace, where important administrative work was carried out in secret, and that would take you to restricted areas not usually included in the regular tour.
Inside the Doge's Palace, one could cross the famous "Bridge of Sighs" which connects the palace with the prisons. It was named as such because prisoners on their way to confinement, and eventual execution, would have their final view of the city from the intricate window of the bridge, and then, they would sigh...out of resignation or longing.
I told my husband that if I were to shoot a scene for a movie, this is where you would get a close-up shot of the actor (playing the doomed prisoner) as he tearfully surveys the ironically lively Venetian scene for one last time (insert shot of city teeming with people and the gondolas floating along the canal behind, with the bridge carving in the foreground, of course, to indicate that it's from his point of view). He then heaves a dramatic sigh before a single tear rolls down from his left eye...and finally, he closes his eyes tight and then CUT! My husband indulged my imagination for a moment, then asked, "So, why should the tear come from the left eye and not the right one?" And I just said, "That's what the Director is in the mood for."
As we did not get the chance to look at Venice from the vantage point of this bridge, we just viewed it from outside. Facing the Doge's Palace with our backs to the Grand Canal, we spotted this narrow bridge on the eastern side of the building. We actually viewed and took a picture of it the previous night, and we sailed under it that morning on the gondola. Our Tour Director also mentioned that it was from there that Casanova made his daring escape. It was hard for me to imagine the scene though because that time, some restoration work was being done on the façade of the palace and they partially covered it up with billboards. Oh well! It's another reason to go back!
Photo Credits:
earthtrekkers.com, destination360.com, viator.com, fodors.com, glassofvenice.com, veltra.com, afar.com, venice-information.com, planetware.com, cross-country-trips.com
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