Hey! I’m glad you came back for the second part of Visit Venice, the city on the water! Venice is a very romantic city, so it has become one of the favorite destinations for couples.
Hey! I’m glad you came back for the second part of Visit Venice, the city on the water! Venice is a very romantic city, so it has become one of the favorite destinations for couples. It is said that you have to kiss under each bridge to stay with your mate forever. So prepare yourself for many kisses, because Venice has almost 400 bridges. Gondolierers take advantage of this myth and ask for a full tour, around 80 €.
Even if you do not travel with the pair, make sure you see at least the most important bridges in the city. They are tourist attractions, and attract a large number of visitors for a reason. They are extremely beautiful and will surely remain tattooed in your soul. Here are the bridges that you do not have to miss:
Rialto Bridge, Bridge of Sighs, Acacia Bridge, Calatrava Bridge, Ponte delle Guglie, Ponte della Paglia and Ponte della Liberta.
I promised you in the past article (see here) that I will return with information about, tourist attractions. In order to visit Venice, you must understand its history, know the most significant buildings, and discover stories that have made it famous.
5 minutes of history:
There is no verifiable data on the origin of the city, but the legend accredits March 25, 421 as a moment of its foundation. Venice was the shelter of a refugee stream that abandoned the padan field under the threat of several longobarde and hune invasions of northern Italy. On the unstable lagoons, people built shelters, and lived from fishing and salt trade. But it was precisely this shortcoming, of a geographic unfavorable position for agriculture, to lift Venice. Geographic position has pushed the Venetians to become great navigators. In addition, the city was hard to conquer at sea, as few ships of the time could sail in the shallow sea around Venice.
With the arrival of Patriarch Paulinus in Aquileia in Grado in 568, the foundations of a local organization are good. In 697 the Doge Office was established. The Doge was chosen for life but, especially in the first centuries of community existence, he was often forced to give up his own mandate as a result of unsatisfactory results of his own government.
The naval trade and even the piracy practiced by the Venetians during this period, lay the foundations of the economic rise of the city. The most important objects of commerce were the luxury items from the Orient and the Slavs brought from Dalmatia.
But the prestige of the locality increased greatly with the arrival of the relics of the evangelist Mark of Alexandria in 828. The legend tells us that the relics were handed to the doge Giustiniano Partecipazio (827-29), under whose patrons he built the first wooden church, dedicated to the evangelist. Unfortunately, this place was destroyed in a fire in 976, with the doge-palace.
By conquering Dalmatia (998-1001), Venice becomes a superpower of the Adriatic Sea, and the victory over the Dalmatian pirates will be commemorated starting with the celebration of the 1177 ascension as a “wedding of the doge with the sea” (Sposalizio del Mar).
Buildings:
In San Marco Square, buildings keep history alive. Here are the most important buildings of Venice in San Marco Square and not only:
The Doge’s Palace
The palace is not only a masterpiece of Gothic architecture, but it is the heart and symbol of the city. Venice is the Doge’s Palace! The palace was the residence of the Doge and the seat of the Venetian Magistrates. You will discover here the history and culture of Venetian civilization, from origins: early doctrines, 14th-century architecture, a series of fifteenth-century renovations, effects of the 1577 fire, and prisons. See how time has changed the architecture of the building. Here you will spend an extraordinary time, and the masterpieces of the artists who have worked here over the centuries will charm you.
The current palace dates back to 1340 and hosted doges until 1789. Here were the most important decisions, legislative, executive and judicial, all of which were manipulated by the doge.
The clock tower
For more than five hundred years, they have marked the life, the history and the perpetual passing of time within the city. (veneziaunica.it)
The Clock Tower is one of Venice’s most famous architectural landmarks, and one of the most original buildings of the early Renaissance Venetian architecture. It is the face of the city from the sea, and has a great urban function: the seats of political and religious power; ceremonial spaces and economic activity areas.
The Monumental Chambers of the Marciana Library
The library was designed by Jacopo Sansovino and built and decorated between 1537 and 1560, at the command of Procurators in San Marco. It was built to offer a worthy home to the Greek and Latin codexes, donated to the Republic of Venice by Cardinal Bessarione in 1468. Today, along with Zecca, the former Mint, is part of the Marciana National Library, and hosts reading halls. The library keeps precious manuscripts, such as the Breviario Grimani Map of the 16th Century and the Map of the World of Fra Mauro, as well as ancient books, including those of Aldo Manuzio.
Cà Rezzonico – 18th century Venice Museum
This magnificent palace, now the 18th Century Venice Museum, was designed by the greatest architect of the Venetian Baroque age, Baldassare Longhena, for the family of aristocrats, Bon. The construction began in 1649, but a series of unfortunate events such as Longhena’s death in 1682 and the Bon family’s financial shortcomings left the palace unfinished.
After this troubled period, the palace was bought by count Lionello Hirschell de Minerbi, a member of the Italian Parliament, who, after long and complex negotiations, sold it to the Venice City Council in 1935.
Museo Correr (St. Mark’s Square Museums)
The palace was built in the area formerly occupied by the church of San Geminiano. Once, the palace hosted the offices and residences of some of the most important officials of the Venetian Republic. Architecture, decorations, frescoes and neo-classical furnishings offer significant examples of the culture and language of this historical period.
They bear witness… to the will to usher in a new era in the history of Venice, emblematically represented by this modern palace of kings and emperors.
More information about museums, such as the program and the entrance fees, you can find here!
Casanova:
Well, Casanova is not just a myth! He is a historical character who was born in Venice on 2 April 1725. He is an emblematic character of Venice, which has become a symbol of the city. Although he has left a vast collection of literary works, he is most often mentioned as an adventurer and lover; an ungrateful son of Serenissima (surname of Venice). But Casanova was much more than that. Casanova had a full life, a poet and a sophisticated writer, diplomat and secret agent.
In 1756, at the age of 30, Casanova was jailed for “public aggression against the holy religion.” On the night of October 31, Casanova managed to escape and fled to Paris. His long life was anything but boring.
At Casanova Museum & Experience you will discover the whole story of the one who was once Giacomo Casanova.
Marco Polo
Marco Polo, is another representative figure of Venice. He is a famous merchant, explorer and writer, born in Venice in 1254. He became famous for his trip to China. The book – Livre des Merveilles du Monde, in which he described to Europe the richness and size of China, its metropolis in Peking, and other Asian countries and cities, brought him fame. Although he was not the first European to be in China, he was the first to leave a detailed chronicle of his experience. Maro Polo’s book inspired Christopher Columbus and other explorers.
Discover local food
Like any city near the sea, Venice has traditional seafood. But of course they also have dishes containing vegetables, recipes coming from the islands, such as the Artichoke of Sant’Erasmo Island. Discover here the most famous Venetian recipes !!!
Internet
The city is full of internet points. These places are usually hunted by students and tourists. Residents have free internet access via the city’s Wi-Fi network. If you are a visitor you can buy access through this site.
Discover the Venetian dialect.
Let’s have a little fun trying to learn a few words from the Venetian dialect. You will pleasantly surprise the locals, and you will remain with delightful memories. Find here a list of the most common words.
Good to know!
- If you visit Venice you need to know a few rules. You can find them here. Inappropriate behavior will attract sanctions. Respect the city and the culture of the Venetians!
- Learn more about Acqua Alta and her forecasts here.
- Information about public transport, airport transfer, museums and churches, as well as the best deals you can find here.
