After our brief feast, we set out for an improvised tour of Venice. We both knew precious little about sights to see in Venice, so we just decided we'd get to St. Mark's and go from there.
Above: En route from our doorstep.
We walked along the waterside promenade and into Piazza San Marco, where we found the basilica slightly under water. Workers were placing a raised walkway into the church when we approached, and a line had formed to await entry and gawk at the sight of high waters in the basilica.
It was rather strange to see a major tourist attraction under water and treated like it was that way routinely. We figured the platform-raising would be a while, so we moved on to our next sight.
ABOVE: View from the Rialto Bridge
We crossed the Rialto Bridge, and meandered our way through the maze of streets to Chiesa Santa Maria Gloriosa del Frari--one of the few sights I'd read about. Outside, we listened to another Rick Steves audio tour (because I forgot the earphones for us to use inside).
Inside were several unique sites: "the Assumption" and "Madonna di Ca' Pesaro" by Titian:
A pyramid monument housing the heart of Canova:
A sculpture of St. John the Baptist by Donatello, and an awesome wood-carved monks' rood screen and choir stalls:
...and more than one over-the-top monument. Titian was buried here, and his tomb was--somewhat surprisingly--only the second most ornate one in the church.
After admiring the art and sculpture in the church, we grabbed a small pizza and seated ourselves in the shade along the Grand Canal to eat and watch the vaporettos and gondolas drive by.
After lunch, we walked north along the Grand Canal to see the Ca' d'Oro, or house of gold. It looked pink, but attractive.
From there we crossed the Rialto back toward Piazza San Marco. It was 5pm, and the church had just closed to tourists for the day. Figured. Oh well.
In the Piazza, we tried to get wi-fi access, but had to pay 5€ for one hour, which was just ridiculous for the 21st century. Instead, we found a café with free wi-fi, but paid $15 for two beers. At least we got something out of our money.
We later walked home, rinsed off, and then found a dinner place that also--begrudgingly, by their behavior--had Internet. They were rude, and their pasta was average. Tagliatelle for Annie, penne arabiatta for me. We were batting .500 on places that employed jerks, so our opinion of Venetian hospitality was quite dampened as a result.
Milking the Internet for all it was worth, mostly out of spite for the surly waiters, we left only as they were closing up the restaurant. We walked home through quiet streets as the cafés and restaurants were shutting down. We'd hoped that someone, somehow, would acknowledge America's Independence Day, but the closest thing we saw to fireworks were the light-up tschotkes of the gypsies being slung into the air. Happy 4th of July!
Once home, we discussed our bittersweet feelings towards Venice. It's true that nearly every angle of the city is a photograph: the place is beautiful, plain and simple. However, in Venice, you pay for EVERYTHING. When one Euro is worth just less than 1.5 dollars, it only seems ridiculous to pay 1.50€ to use a public toilet, or 3€ for a small Coke(no free refills!). Additionally, we saw public water fountains, but nearly every one was shut off, forcing you to buy a small bottle for 2€ or go thirsty.
Above: A turnstile to enter a public restroom. I wanted to pee on it.
Add all this to our rude treatment at the hands of restaurant staff, and we were more than ready to leave Venice after just one full day. They were more likely to greet us with a warning--"Only meals! No drinks!"--than a welcoming exchange. What ever happened to "Buon Giorno?"
Venice July 4 Album:
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| Venice: July 4, 2011 |
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad
Location:Venice, Italy
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