Italy
:
Venezia/Venice
[This section is in the earliest
stages of development: 28 December
2006]
Introduction
I have visited Venice several
times. On the first occasion, in the early 1980s, I arrived by train,
unaccompanied, along with about a million other tourists, and found myself
unable to stay in such a crowded and expensive city. I formed an instant
dislike for the unwelcoming, stony-faced commercialism of the Lista di Spagna.
I must also admit to two literary, and two cinematic prejudices against the
place: a novel by Ian McEwan called (I believe) Comfort of Strangers,
which, set in Venice, is possibly one of the most unpleasant books I have read;
the novella by Thomas Mann Death in Venice, the film of which, starring
Dirk Bogart and the music of Gustav Mahler, I also watched (and listened to)
many times; and a horror film, starring Donald Sutherland, called Don't Look
Now, which I am too frightened to watch.
Subsequent visits have been much more carefully arranged, and consequently
very pleasant city breaks. The cheap flights airline Go! Used to fly from
London Stansted to Venice Marco Polo (about two hours), whereas Ryanair flies
from London Stansted to Treviso.
The cheapest (ITL 1,500) way of transferring from Marco Polo to Venice
is aboard the number 5 service bus ("il cinque"), arriving in the
Piazzale Roma (bus station) in about 25 minutes. The airport coach takes about
20 minutes, and costs ITL 5,000. There is a vaporetto stop at the airport,
transferring to the Piazza San Marco, but not very cheaply. To arrive at the
Piazza San Marco in style, it is possible to take a water taxi from the
airport, but it costs an arm and leg.
On these more recent occasions I have been able to ride the vaporetti
and stroll the fondamenti. I have wandered mapless, trying to get lost,
soaking up the spirits of the city. Not surprisingly, I suppose, there are many
Venices.
Tourist Venice
Every large tourist city has its Lista di Spagna, and for many tourists, I guess
that it is reassuring to encounter what is therefore familiar. There are also
rutted tourist tracks from Rialto
to San Marco, full of boutiques and tat. The Piazza San Marco seems perpetually
thick with tourists and pigeons as is physically achievable, and for this
reason, amongst others, I should like to visit Venice
in the autumn, once the worst of the tourist rush is over. However, the Piazza
is really so grand that, even filled to capacity, it cannot be swamped (except
by the aqua alta). The Basilica San Marco itself is stunning from the
outside, but the best is not held in reserve. I have visited neither the
Palazzo Ducale nor ascended the Campanile.
Artistic Venice
I feel ashamed to admit that I have visited only one gallery. The Peggy
Guggenheim gallery is not only a mecca for lovers of early to mid-twentieth
century art, but also has several additionally attractive features: a
leaf-shaded, sculpture-filled courtyard with benches on which to sit taking
one's time; an open courtyard overlooking the Canal Grande; a tasteful little
cafe/restaurant; young English-speaking staff who are interested in the works
of art. Close to the Peggy Guggenheim is the Palazzo Dario, which is best seen
from the Canal Grande. Monet painted at least one sequence of Venice
paintings, and one of these is, I think, of the Palazzo Dario. Venice
has a surfeit of fascinating, sometimes wonderful, architecture. Examples
include buildings, many palazzi seen at their best from the Canal Grande;
bridges, not simply the grand Ponte di Rialto, but some of the many
smaller bridges, too; and decoration, from sculpture and mosaics to stairways,
e.g. the external spiral stairway of the Palazzo Contarini del Bovolo.
Venice as a place to live
Cannaregio, the most northerly of Venice's
sestiere, includes both the Ferrovie (railway station), the Lista
di Spagna and the Campo Getto Nuovo, the old Jewish Ghetto. There are
also long canals lined with town houses and corner shops; twentieth century
tenement blocks that could be anywhere in Europe, and
leaf-shaded gardens. Who lives here? I don't know. However, despite the
pessimism of guide books that no-one much lives in Venice
these days, Cannaregio shows evidence to the contrary. Similarly, the big
blocks of flats (apartments) west of Mulino Stucky (a monstrous Neo-Gothic
flour mill) on Guidecca, show Venice
to have its share of 'social housing'. In the area of San Croce, across the
Canal Grande from the Ferrovie, there are many blocks of flats typical
of central Europe. I am aware, too, of Venice
having at least one university, implying university residential accommodation.
I know at least one academic who visits Venice
annually, staying in an apartment in Cannaregio, to write papers away from the
tyranny of bureaucracy. I should love to do this. Dream on!
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The Rialto Bridge.
I could ride all day on the vaporetti ploughing up and down the Canal
Grande. There is so much to see and dream about.
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The southern end of the Canal Grande. Gondola hire is very
expensive. Vaporetti tickets are cheap. Gondolas look good in
photographs.
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Beyond
Venice
Within the lagoon, a short vaporetto ride to the south east, there is
the Lido, a long, narrow island with hotels and beaches.
An equally short vaporetto ride to the north east is the island
of Murano, where glass was once
made almost exclusively in Europe. As well as a glass
museum detailing the history of Venetian glass-making, glass works still
remain, at which it is possible to witness glass ornaments being made by hand.
Whilst the island is not very picturesque, there is a good supermarket not far
from the museum at which it is possible to buy food for a picnic. As a way of
getting out of Venice, and
experiencing something of 'island life', visiting Murano has a low
time-overhead, and the possibility of seeing some glass made: recommended.
Much further to the north east (and therefore a much longer vaporetto
trip) lie an archipelago of islands, the most famous of which are Burano and
Torcello. Burano has two claims to fame: many of its houses (of which there are
postcards) are painted in very bright colours, and lace. There is a lace
museum, and plenty of lace to be bought. The little island, which can be walked
around in less than an hour, is densely populated, and there are adequate
tourist facilities. However, if lace and vernacular architecture are of little
interest, don't bother to go to Burano.
Torcello is almost deserted (population: 60) apart from day trippers.
Established between the fifth and sixth centuries, Torcello is, apparently, the
forerunner to Venice, which makes
it sound promising. However, little remains of the burgeoning civilisation
(20,000 people and many canals), the development of its archaeology is thin to
say the least, and the tourist facilities are very poor: not recommended
Elsewhere in the Veneto lie Padua
(most famously a university city,
which I have not visited) and "fair Verona"
(why is Shakespeare so ambiguous in his description of the city? "Prithee,
are gentlemen of Verona to be
trusted?" "Yes, sire, they are known to be fair."; "Tell
me, in all of Italy,
which is the fairest city?" "Why, fair Verona,
of course!"; "Is Verona a truly beautiful city?" "Well,
fair, but no better, methinks."). I visited Verona
in the early 1980s, and did not much appreciate what it has to offer. Sadly, I
focused on what I found tasteless: inscribed wall-plaques quoting, in English,
lines from Shakespeare. Were I to visit again, I should ignore Juliet's
balcony, and visit instead the Castelvecchio, the Roman arena (used today as a
venue for grand opera) and the Palazzo della Ragione. I look forward to
visiting Verona (Ryanair fly from
Stansted to Verona), Padua
and Lake Garda.
p.g.h@btinternet.com
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