Art, History, and Wow! –  A Picture Storybook of Our Breathtaking Exploration of Three European Cities.


Chapter 2

Venice



On to Venice!


Our Easy Jet flight was delayed.  Modern travel. 


Stephano and Lucia's apartment is located perfectly in Dorsoduro section of Venice. It is an easy walk from the bus. Lucia, who spoke a little bit of English, met us at the Venice bus depot and walked us to our apartment. 

                                                     The apartment was not in an
                                                      ancient building but had gobs

                                                      of old-world Venetian charm

                                                      with hardwood, marble and tile

                                                      floors, beautiful custom

                                                      cabinetry and high ceilings. It

                                                      was far from the maddening

                                                      crowds, yet close enough to

                                                      the fray to be convenient to the

                                                       abundant sites throughout

                                                       Venice.  The apartment had

                                                        lovely amenities, gorgeous living

                                                        space with a nice

                                                        eat-in kitchen and gas range. 

                                                        There was a classic Venetian

                                                        view off the little balcony
                                                       (see the two pictures, one day,

                                                        one night) overlooking the canal.  

As we approached the building we were greeted with a big hello from across the canal. John Fleming, my brother-in-law, and my sister Pat, had been waiting for us, not knowing that our flight was delayed. We discovered a few weeks earlier that we were all going to be in the same part of Italy at the same time. . 


It was magical.














Birthday Cake in our apartment.



And Venice is magical.  It is also amazingly photogenic. From the canals and calles to the churches, every nook is a visual thrill ride. I thoroughly enjoyed figuring out the maze of alleys, tunnels and bridges.  By the end of the second day I could navigate around Dorsoduro like a

native! (almost)


The Museums are outstanding and we highly recommend buying the coveted Museum Multi-Pass if you go. San Marco, at the southern end of Venice, was a behemoth, gold-enshrined

testament to the Venetian dominance of the world and its subsequent wealth. It is quite literally

encased in gold and precious stones and it is monstrously huge.  The impact it must have had on common people and visitors of the 11th Century must have been of immeasurable awe.

























San Marco, Umbrellas.


All that glitters IS gold


But the real story, and a monument that moved me more than anything else I saw in Venice, was a sculpture-adorned architectural pediment, some forty feet high that we found inside the Santa Maria Gloriosa Dei Frari, a church located  in the heart of the Dorsoduro section of Venice. 

Here the ruling Doges sit, imperial, enjoying the bounty of their privilege and overseeing all on a high platform, the foundation of which is supported by giant black slaves in torn garments. The history of the world.  Right there. To put it as eloquently as I can. WTF? It is so moving, it’s hard to wrap ones head around the intended concept of the monument.  In context to today I found it startling and disturbing.  Was it meant to be cynical?  Look at the powerfully frightening expression of the slaves! Yet, I think, to the creators of the monument, it was a portrait of life as one would expect:  the honorable and powerful in their rightful place.  Strikes me as being very Republican. If you look closely in the upper right, I think that is Mitch McConnell. He may very well be that old.



                                                              They were three very short but full days. And on the evening of the 7th, we walked to the north end of Dorsoduro, scouted our path to the train station in preparation for our departure in the morning.  We found our way back to the apartment, packed and cleaned, then went out and had a wonderful birthday meal in one of the many splendid restaurants to be found in Venice.


By this time it was hard to fathom that our vacation could get any better.  We felt we had been very lucky with our apartment in Paris.  It was cute, clean and functional. And it was ideally located.  Our apartment in Venice?  Palatial comes to mind.  It was the proverbial home run!  Was our luck about to run out? What would we find when we finally arrived in Fiesole for the last leg of out trip?





The Piazza near our apartment.  








                                                                                                               





                                                                                                                                                      



























Calle


                                                                                                                                                                                                  



                                                                                                                                                                                           


                                                                                                                                                                                   San Marco Revealing the Sacred Museum Passes



































Sketch of Gondolier


                                                                            




                                                                                                                            Grand Canal in the rain.








































Stay Tuned for Chapter 3, Fiesole and Florence