02/10/2002:
Venice, where romance lives on
What
is Venice like? In short, it is a city to fall in love with. There is no place
like Venice. Since
I was a child, I've always wanted to visit this Italian city, where canals were
the only roads. I kept wondering how a place like that might be, a place where
the vehicles were boats and gondolas. “Aren't there sidewalks?”, I would
wonder, very curiously. Then, the curiosity of a girl gave place to the
determination of woman, and there I was, in the famous Venice. The city did live
up to my childhood dreams. Things
in Venice are far from ordinary. The roads go along the canals and, even if you
follow a map, you will get lost. The narrow streets and their turns make us lose
direction. There are 117 small islands and a hundred bridges! That's why there
are so many orientation signs. The Great Canal, as the name implies, is the most
important one and crosses the city. At
first, it seems Venice is all about tourists, souvenir stands, and very old
houses, some of them badly conserved. Along the path from the train station to
Piazza San Marcos, the city's central point, I got used to the narrow streets
and alleys, to the short bridges, to the old buildings and to the unavoidable
crowd of tourists. But this was not the Venice I was looking for... Arriving at Piazza San Marco, where pigeons are more numerous than people, the imposing Basilica di San Marco is the main attraction. Since there was a long queue for visitation and I was short of time, I decided to take a closer look at the city. After all, I had had enough of churches. And, despite the importance of its monuments, the main attraction in Venice is the city itself. At
Piazza San Marco, it is fun to see tourists taking photographs, surrounded by
pigeons, and the Japanese videotaping each and every detail of the place. The
gallery around the piazza has many jewellery and art shops… A glass of beer at
the piazza costs €7. Next
to Basilica di San Marco, the Duke Palace, former official residence of dukes
and duchesses, is a beautiful building, with Gothic archways, rebuilt in the
14th century. Currently, the palace is a museum that attracts numerous tourists.
But
the best part was still to come: the big event that takes place on the first
Sunday in September, the Regatta Storica. I was very lucky, for I hadn't even
planned to see the event. It is a competition of different gondolas, which are
ridden along the Great Canal. Tourists and Venetians wanted the best place
beside the canal and on the bridges to see the competition. Amid
a huge crowd, it was difficult to take pictures. However, talking to some
Brazilians tourists was enough to settle it. Despite the competition, the best
part was the creativity employed in the decoration of gondolas e and the colours
reflecting upon the river. Some boats were full of fruit and vegetables, others
had their crew dressed in traditional costumes, others featured sculptures, and
one of them had even a music band, and its crew wore Roman costumes. The party
day in Venice went through the night. There
are gondolas all over Venice. Some are decorated with heart-shaped cushions, a
good choice for couples in love. Unfortunately, I did not take the ride. It is
not that I didn't want to – after all, riding a gondola along the canals and
contemplating the beautiful dusk view along with your lover is something never
to forget... However, albeit beautiful, the ride is not affordable. It costs €150 euros for 45 minutes, which
amounts to R$ 500! Maybe next time... Running
away from the crowd of tourists, it was lovely to take the path back to the
hotel. I walked about the least famous zone in Venice, where its inhabitants
live. Full of very narrow streets and canals with bridges, it was the Venice I
have always pictured. On each bridge, one can have a beautiful view of the
little houses and the canals. There are old buildings, some of them of stone,
and a tranquillity that would be only be broken by voices and humming coming
from inside the houses. Of course I ended up getting lost, but this is what
makes the walk fun. When I realised, I was at the edge of Venice, where cars are
parked – they aren't allowed into the city. Since
there aren't any cars, there's not much noise or pollution. It is good to walk
freely on the sidewalks, without having to look left or right before crossing a
street. Venice may be easily walked through. Despite the many gondolas, canoes
and even motorboats, there's no congestion. At
night, the restaurants are filled with people, and the canals reflect the city
lights, giving a special look to the place, and making it still more romantic.
On the other day, it was time to say goodbye. It was a pity to leave Venice
behind. While it is not possible to go back, I'll keep in my mind the beautiful
canals and the romance of this unique city. Pictures: - Main canal: 1 - Great canal: 1
- Another canal: 1
- Cathedral of São Marcos: 1 - Historical sailing: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 Translated by Traduzca |
