I was a little fatigued yesterday but by day’s end, my head was spinning and my leg muscles began to slow me down. I thought it had something to do with the Venetian testosterone that free flows through this labyrinth. Was it their thick black hair in contrast with their gorgeous green/blue/grey eyes, their olive skin that seem to glisten in the sun, their self-confidence, their bold ways of looking right at you and saying what’s on their mind....Casanovas in their true form! They speak to you and for all you know they could be swearing at you; yet in your mind, it is a romantic musical piece to my ears, with huge sex appeal. Unlike our gardeners back home who seem to have been swallowed by the Western world. My hairdresser remains an exception to that rule...the man brought a piece of Italy to Evita! I have a colleague who would concur.
Alas, it turned out my dizziness had little to do with the Venetian MEN, and more to do with this unbearable high heat mixed with humidity. I thought I was hydrating plenty. Apparently not.
Munich had the same temperatures, but every corner of every block was a fruit stand to sell whole fruits at a nominal fee. Munich had oodles of land on which to farm. Venice, on the other hand, has WATER! Looks like fruits are imported to this lovely abode, which translates to...not as easily accessible and let’s not even talk about variety. Apples, oranges, pineapple and the odd watermelon are the common staples here.
I joined a walking tour yesterday morning with a sexy Venetian tour guide, who spoke eloquently. She was FULL of knowledge. This was mainly an American group from Alabama and Michigan. An interesting mix to say the least. While the guide gave detailed historical facts on the visited sites, they were more concerned about what to bring back home, when is the next pee stop, what should they have for lunch. The tour was less than an hour and a half long...we are NOT talking about an all day commitment here. I digress.
She began the tour with the royal garden and walked along the main port of San Marco. You are accosted by a number of vendors selling all sorts of tourist items made in China. I had the pleasure of sitting with a middle aged Venetian artist, Bartolomeo, who told me about his hobby, the local way of life for the 60 000 inhabitants in Venice. Almost all vendors sell these magnificent theatre masks (made in China of course) that date back to the Venetian way of life, the actors’ corner, and the theatrical world.
The guide brings us close to the main entrance of the San Marco Piazzetta. Two big columns with two sculptures are meant to welcome visitors: one of a winged lion (a symbol used by Venetians to refer to San Marco) and the other is a statue of San Todaro, the first patron of Venice. In 1125, when the columns were given as gifts by the East, the Venetians would use the space in between to carry out death sentences. Today, the Venetians refuse to walk through the columns to avoid being struck by back luck. So the only FOOLS to walk though (and u can include me into that mix) are the tourists. I will know who to blame when bad luck strikes me.
She showed us the Clock Tower, built in 1496 to 1599, by Mauro Cordussi. It’s an unusual clock. It is crowned wih a terrace which houses a big bell, sounded by two moors. Under the terrace, we see St-Mark’s Lion and a semi-circular platform of Madonna with a child. The clock indicates the flow of the seasons, the passage of the sun in the constellations, the time and the lunar cycles. I find myself compelled to give the details of this beautiful and unusual clock to let you in on a final note. In 1599, the Venetians were so pleased with Cordussi’s handcrafted work that they refused to renumerate him for his hard work; instead, they chose to poke out BOTH his eyes as guarantee that he will NEVER duplicate this clock again.
The Bell Tower also has a fascinating tale. It is the oldest bell tower in Venice. It was built over Roman foundations and was erected under the Doge (aka President) Pietro Tribuno’s will. It survived many fires and earthquakes. That being said, in 1902, it collapsed without any damage to the half a million recorded visitors back then nor nearby buildings. The tower is about 100 meters in height and holds a rotating statue of an angel. Today, the Venetians refer to this Bell Tower as the Gentleman for the way in which it collapsed without harming a soul, other than a cat. When the Venetians want to know the weather, they observe the rotating angel. If she is facing the water, it’s a sunny day. If she is facing the clock tower, the rain...she’s a coming.
Our next stop was The Basilica of St. Mark. There are line ups from here to eternity to see this church. The tour companies have swung a deal with the Church to allow by-passing the endless lanes. Consider it a Disney’s Fast Pass version!
In 832, this church was used as the first Doges’ private religious quarters. It took over four hundred years, many artists, craftsmen, carpenters, brick layers, mosaic layers to finish this magnificent work of art. In some areas of the Basilica, it has a Gothic style, while in other areas it has a Romanic and Byzantine architecture. The guide explained that when they had to transfer the body of the Evangelist Mark from Egypt to Venice, to avoid the Turks from capturing and the body, they covered it with ham, knowing that their Muslim faith would not allow them to reach for the body. His body now resides in The Basilica. Once inside, you are struck by the amount of gold mosaics used to decorate the place. During the middle ages, walls were decorated with frescos; back then they realized that the humidity in Venice would rot the paintings. The use of gold was rust proof.
She guided us through many other smaller campos or squares to show us how each and every one has a church, a bell tower, a palace for the Doge, a water well and homes. The first campo to be built was St-Mark’s. As more settled in to Venice, new campos were created. Hence the labyrinth of a set up in Venezia!
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