San Marco- the Venetian Place to Start
Staying in San Marco makes San Marco the logical place to start exploring Venice. Just around the corner from where we are staying is the famous Teatro Fenice which has housed the voices of Domingo and Pavarotti. Some years ago the theater was burned to the ground in suspicious circumstances. An intensive investigation ensued and the story of which is told in a great book, “The City of Falling Angels”, by John Berendt.
After grabbing an Espresso (morning only please), we move on to the church of San Moise. This church is at once beautiful and chaotic. The facade is covered with elaborate carvings including the busts of Vincenzo Fini and the rest of his family and dedication of thanks for the legacy he left to the church.
Continuing on we walk into the Piazza San Marco, the only square in Venice to have the title Piazza bestowed upon it. Within the Piazza is the Basilica di San Marco, the Campanile, the Palazzo Ducale and the Torre dell’Orologio.
The Basilica is Venice’s most visited sight and the crowds here start early. The entire building is a mix of cupolas, spires, sculpture and mosaics. A little bit of trivia I learned while in Italy is that a church may only come to be called a Basilica if it houses a piece of a saint. That wasn’t a mistake- I did indeed say piece. There is a church in Siena which houses the skull of it’s patron saint and I believe one of her fingers, but that’s a story for another post. this particular Basilica is home to the body of Saint Mark, the city’s patron.
The Campanile is one of those places that you had no desire to see the inside of while you were there but then you wish afterward that you had taken the time to do it. The tower itself is visible from most of Venice and is supposed to afford one the best views of the city . . . but I wouldn’t know. . .
The Palazze Ducale- Constructed from 1340 to 1362, the current palazzo is a beautiful example of the Gothic style with the pink Veronese marble that covers the top shimmering in the sunlight. Housing the city’s original courthouse and legal offices it is attached to the prison across the Rio del Palazzo by the famous Bridge of Sighs, so called because legend has it that as the prisoners were led over the bridge, they were able to catch their last glimpse of the outside world before spending the remainder of their days behind prison walls either dying there or being executed. The more sordid history of the Palazzo is that “there are hidden passageways to the torture chambers, where prisoners were “interrogated,” and into the rooftop piombi prison, named for the building’s leaded roofing. Giacomo Casanova (1725-98), Venetian-born writer and libertine, was imprisoned here in 1755, having offended someone in power. (He was officially charged with being a Freemason). He and an accomplice made a daring escape 15 months later and Casanova fled to France, where he continued his career of intrigue and scandal. They were the only prisoners ever to escape, and their guard was imprisoned for 10 years.”
The Torre del Orologio is interesting looking as it is very elaborate and colorfully wrought. At the top is the symbol of Venice- the winged lion and below him is a statue of the Virgin Mary with her baby Jesus. Only once did we happen to be in the square when the clock struck on the hour and were able to see the little men at the top chase eachother around the clock while two stood there ringing the bell.
The Piazza itself is large and open, filled with people, small eateries, sunlight and pigeons. There always seems to be a tourist being photographed covered in pigeons.
Just around the corner, right on the quay is a little bar called Harry’s. This is definitely one of those places you shouldn’t miss. You can sit down in this very small bar, which Hemingway frequented while staying in Venice, and sip on the drink they invented and made famous- the Bellini. Be aware before you do however that this is not the Bellini of the slushee variety, but rather the peach juice and champagne served in a very small glass and a very large price variety. . . but you know what they say- “When in Rome. . . er . . . well you know what I mean.”
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