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Story and photography by Susan McKee
Venice
Water is the reason for Venice. In prehistoric times, fishermen settled on the islands to take advantage of easy access to the sea’s bounty. Then, in about the fifth century, barbarians from the north invaded the Italian peninsula. Anxious to avoid the marauders, mainlanders also took refuge on the islands in the lagoon, protected somewhat from warriors on horseback.
Venice was born from this combination of forces when the merchants and businessmen of the mainland joined the locals. Soon, the city-state was trading its wares up and down the Adriatic and into the Mediterranean, bringing back exotic cargo from around the world on the return trips.
 It’s these centuries of trading success of Venice that makes it a “must see” for tourists. Under the unique governmental style of the Doge, the city-state prospered for more than a thousand years. Its sailors brought back priceless artifacts from across the known world:
The bones of St. Mark were taken from Alexandria in the 9th century. The famed four horses of San Marco were brought back from Constantinople about 1200. The wealth of its citizens attracted artists, sculptors, musicians, architects – and a population that at one time exceeded that of London and Paris combined. Its citizens developed an eclectic culture. Tourists arrived in droves -- and still do.
The canals of Venice aren’t the straight-shot transportation routes of canals in the northeastern United States. They’re organic waterways, snaking between the islands. Even the Grand Canal takes a sinuous route through Venice. For the American tourist, used to the grid arrangements of towns and cities in the New World, it’s hard to keep track. Did I just walk east, or west, or? Streets – pedestrian only -- are no better than the canals, as they follow the contours of the ancient islands. What seems like a straight shot across from, say, Piazza San Marco to the Rialto Bridge becomes an exercise in meandering. Fortunately, there are directional arrows on the sides of buildings at crossroads.
It’s often recommended that tourists begin their walks at the Piazza San Marco. This is, of course, the most famous spot in Venice: here are the basilica of St. Mark, the campanile and the Doge’s Palace. In the warmer months, you’ll find the “dueling” orchestras of Caffè Florian (which opened in 1720) and Caffè Quadri (dating to 1638) facing off across the square as tourists and locals sit and sip their coffee at the outside tables.
In addition to the ubiquitous pigeons and souvenir vendors, the Piazza includes a series of raised wooden walkways: when the tide is high, water bubbles up through the paving stones of the plaza, and washes over the walkway along the Grand Canal. These “temporary” walkways keep pedestrians out of the water.
Although I hit some of the high spots when I was in Venice, my favorite time in the city was spent just wandering. The shops offer everything from exquisite  Murano glass to mass-produced masks. Carnevale, of course, is Venice’s signature holiday. For the fortnight leading up to Ash Wednesday, the partying is nonstop (dates for 2010 are February 6-16). The rest of the year, it’s obvious that a mask is the signature souvenir of Venice. There are hundreds of vendors hawking the most awful imported versions, but try to find a shop selling the plain, white papier mache version – purists buy these and fashion their own disguises. I bought mine at La Bottega dei Mascareri, near the northern (market) end of the Rialto Bridge. In this tiny studio/shop brothers Sergio and Massimo Boldrin fashion the most amazing masks. Mine is in the shape of a mottled gold leaf.
It’s convenient to buy a “tourist travel card” from any ACTV ticket office or vaporetto ticket booth (you can get 12-hour to 7-day versions). This card provides public transportation on boats in the Venice Lagoon – useful if you want to hop on and off the vaporettos to shorten sightseeing walks, or journey out to Murano.
If you go –
Tourist Board of Venice: http://www.turismovenezia.it/eng/
Caffè Florian: http://www.caffeflorian.com/
Caffè Quadri: http://www.quadrivenice.com/
Massimo and Sergio Boldrin Mask Gallery:
http://www.atouchofvenice.com/mask_gallery/index.html
Museum at St. Mark’s Basilica: http://www.museosanmarco.it/index_eng.bsm
Peggy Guggenheim Collection:
http://www.guggenheim-venice.it/inglese/default.html
© November 2009 LuxuryWeb Magazine. All rights reserved.
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