25 Places to visit before you die: No. 16. St Mark's Square, Venice

I'm in love and so my senses may be a bit off, I may ignore the less than wonderful parts of you, because you, Venice, have captured my heart. All I see is your mystical magic and I ignore the crowds of other less worthy suitors because I am yours and you are mine. And at your centre is St Mark's Square; the brightest of stars to the world of romantic wonderers like me. How could St Mark's Square not be on Afterabc's list of 25 Places to visit before you die? 
 

'A visit to Venice becomes a perpetual love affair', said Henry James, and few would disagree that the great, 'City of Water' is one of the very best places to spend time dreaming off when not actually visiting. The City has long been a cultural reference point; from Shakespeare's "Merchant of Venice" and "Othello", in the 16th Century, to the setting for three James Bond films; From Russia with Love, Moonraker and Casino Royale in the 20th and 21st Centuries.

Venice, comprising 118 Islands in the Venetian lagoon along the Adriatic Sea in northeast Italy is home to over a quarter of a million people, and for over 1,000 years in different guises an important world city. As befits such a City of history it has a number of pseudonyms; the 'La Dominante', 'Serenissima', 'Queen of the Adriatic', 'City of Water', 'City of Bridges', 'City of Canals' and 'The City of Light'.

Venice is an engineering phenomenon, built on marshland the famous 177 canals interweaving between the archipelago islands that are connected by 455 bridges. Transport in the city is either on the water or on foot, with the addition in the19th century, of a rail causeway to the mainland, and a road causeway and car parking built in the 20th century. Venice is unique in Europe in remaining a sizable functioning city in the 21st century entirely without motorcars or trucks. The classical form of transport is the Venetian boat, - the gondola that by law must be operated by a Venetian by birth, although it is now mostly used for tourists, or for weddings, funerals, or other ceremonies. Many gondolas are lushly appointed with crushed velvet seats and Persian rugs. A gondolas journey, even if only sight-seeing, is a right of passage for all self respecting travellers.

The city structures are built atop of wooded piles that were driven through the soft sand and mud until they reached the harder layer of clay. Because the wood is not exposed to oxygen it does not decay but has become a hard petrified 'foundation'. In the 20th Century the city began to sink, the cause was found to be the artesian wells that were sunk to extract water for industry. Since the 1960s the wells were banned and the City sinking seems to have slowed or stopped. However, Venice still is venerable to flooding at certain high tides, and the Italian government has commissioned the MoSE project (Modulo Sperimentale Elettromeccanico), that involves sea bed inflatable pontoons to hold back excessive tidal rise of the sea level in the lagoon.

Tourism has been a major sector of Venetian industry since the 18th century, when it was a major centre for the grand tour, due to its beautiful cityscape, uniqueness and rich musical and artistic cultural heritage. In the 19th century, it became a fashionable centre for the rich and famous, often staying or dining at luxury establishments such as the Danieli Hotel and the Caffè Florian. It continued being a fashionable city in vogue right into the early 20th century. In the 1980s the Carnival of Venice was revived and the city has become a major centre of international conferences and festivals, such as the prestigious Venice Biennale and the Venice Film Festival, which attract visitors from all over the world for their theatrical, cultural, cinematic, artistic and musical productions.

Today there are numerous attractions in Venice, such as the Piazza San Marco, St Mark's Basilica, and the Grand Canal, to name a few.

St Mark's, the Piazza San Marco is at the heart of Venice. For many travellers this is the benchmark of 'wow', the square is beautiful, one of the best public squares in the world. The cafes, shops and people are part of the spectacle, as are the fat pigeons that seem constantly to scavenge in flocks.  Even the less observant traveller will notice the square, is not square and at the wider end is St Mark's Basilica and the Campanile, the tallest structured on the Venice skyline.  The current tower is a 20th century re-creation of the 8th century original, which collapsed without warning in 1902.  Ascend to its summit for miraculous view; on a clear day, you may be able to see the faint outline of the Dolomite Mountains.

When napoleon arrived in 1797 he called the square the finest drawing room in Europe, and who can argue with the diminutive French emperor.  Today, visitors, even the cynical worldly wise, look in wonderment at the elegant colonnades and at the Basilica's ornate façade. It is not too touristy to people watch whilst sipping espresso at the café Florian or Café Quadri while the orchestras play.

Basilica Di San Marco sitting at the eastern end of the Piazza San Marco, the basilica was originally built as the final resting place of St Mark, whose body was smuggled by two merchants out of Alexandria in 828.  The current structure is the third church built on the site, and dated back from the 11th century.  Byzantine, almost mosquelike in style, it is one of the word's most richly embellished and distinctive Roman Catholic churches, surmounted by replicas of the Quad Riga, the four famous bronze horses looted from Constantinople in 1204.  The original are currently in St Mark's Museum inside the basilica.  Other appropriations from around Venice's once huge merchant empire decorate the structure inside and out.  Byzantine mosaics cover the dimly lit ceilings of the interior.  The Sarcophagus of St Mark sits beneath four columns in the presbytery while behind the alter is the Pala d'Oro alter screen, one of the basilicas greatest treasures comprised of more than 2,000 enamelled panels.

The Grand Canal Venice's main street it's a 2 mile aquatic thoroughfare, in lined with hundreds of weather worn Byzantine and Gothic palazzi with canal life.  For a nominal fee, jump on the number 1 water bus which plies the full length of the S shaped Canalazzo for a cruise through 1,000 years of local history, dodging errant gondolas and delivery boats. Starting at the Piazza San Marco or the Santa Lucia train station, savour it once by day for rush hour stimulus and once at night for the quiet, unmatched romance of it all.

To describe Venice is to miss the point. Venice must be visited, and if you have a soul you will fall in love.

April 26, 2010  |  Article Posted By: Administrator 1 , London
Share This on :

Disclaimer:
Has your comment not appeared? Try waiting a moment and then refresh the page. If it still doesn't appear and you've checked your comment meets the terms of our comment policy then contact afterabc admin with the details of your comment so we can look into it. If you wish to complain about a comment please contact the editor directly.