Venice: Where East meets West

There are exactly two places on earth where we can say the east meets west. The first and foremost is the great Byzantine city of Constantinople or modern day Istanbul. The other city is Venice. Venice is known for its lagoons and islands but a little known fact is that its also a great meeting ground for east and west. It is to this city that i go next carrying with me a bagful of excitement.

December 29, 2009, Tueday

The chilly air hugged me as soon as i exited the railway station at Venice much to my discomfort. I had mostly seen Venice to be this sunny haven in all the movies back home and its chilly welcome startled me. Venice is truly one of its kind. I realized this as soon as i came out. The usual rush of buses and cars were replaced by the rush of water boats that were speeding along the Grand canal. It almost looked like a highway. Only tourists like me seemed to have been startled as the locals seemed to hurry through their daily chores without noticing the surroundings.

As i went atop a very modern looking bridge across the canal the grand view of the Grand Canal hit my eyes. The Grand Canal snakes through Venice almost in the shape of the letter 'S' and is the principle water way in this city full of canals and bridges. As i looked over my shoulder i caught a glimpse of the Italian Alps. I knew they were close but dint expect them to be this close, now i understood where all that chill came from.

I climbed down from the bridge and took the Vaperatto - the water boat - used for travel within the city. The life on the Grand canal was one to be observed. Gondolas drifted in the waters with happy tourists aboard them with stylishly clad Gondoliers riding them through the serene surroundings. The thing i was surprised was the color of the water which was very green and was quite wonderful to look at and surprisingly very clean too. As the vaperatto meandered through the Grand canal i was instantly hooked by the city around me. Within few minutes i got down at the most famous address in Venice - Piazza San Marco.

Piazza San Marco or St. Mark's Square is one of the great squares of the world. It is the heart of Venice and one of its most famous landmarks and as usual was bustling with people. As much as it is formed by water Venice is also plagued by it. Every time there is high tide the city literally sinks. Thankfully for me the tides were not very high and i could take in the view of the square in all its glory.

The square is in the shape of a trapezium and is surrounded on three sides by the famous Procuratie buildings with their cafes and shops and their beautifully crafted symmetrical columns which give the square its distinct appearance. St.Mark's Basilica forms the fourth side and right adjacent to it there is the famous Doge's palace where the head of the city lived. The icing on the cake is the 100m tall Camponile or the bell tower which towers over the square.

St.Mark's Basilica is unlike any other church in Europe. The hallmarks of western churches like spiraling towers, distinct cross shape are completely absent. Instead the design is distinctly eastern with magnificent domes and wonderfully crafted pillars and golden tapestry. The influence of Byzantium is everywhere. The basilica is one of the most prestigious churches in the world as it contains the mortal remains of St.Mark. Although St.Mark died in modern day turkey his body was smuggled into Venice and buried in the basilica. A fact depicted in the golden tapestry at the entrance.The inside of the basilica too looked quite eastern with none of the patterns of western design like alters and chapels being present. It almost felt like the inside of a mosque given the elaborate design of the domes.

During the middle ages Venice was a great trading city where people from east and west mingled and did business. Great travelers like Marco Polo were citizens of this great city and the adventures they had carried out in the east fascinated the city and had a profound influence on its culture. This influence was seen in the building designs such as that of the St.mark's basilica and also in the apparels and behavior of the people. Thus Venice became a great place where east and west met.

Once i came out of the basilica it was time to climb the Camponile. Even by Italian standards this bell tower was very tall. Thankfully there was a lift to the top which eased my nerves. Once on the top the magnificent city came into view. The enormous piazza below seemed to have shrunk and people down below looked as small as the pigeons they were feeding. The nearby islands were also visible and so were the beautiful churches and bridges. People seemed to be busy peering outside and ignored the bell of the bell tower which was huge and must have been terrifying to stand near it when it rang. Height is a great friend in Italy. The magnificence of the surrounding is accentuated by hieght. Maybe thats why every town in italy has a bell tower or a dome of a church which people can climb and enjoy the spectacular surrounding. Even here in Venice standing on the shouldder of the Camponile one got a spectacular view of the city and i thanked those great venetians who built this great tower.


After getting down from the Camponile it was time to hop onto a nearby island called Isola di San Giorgio Maggiore. This is one of Venice's most beautiful islands and apart from the spectacular church it offered a great view of the waterfront including the Camponile and the Doge's palace. The church was really beautiful and like other Italian churches had some breathtaking works of art inside. After bidding adieu to the island it was time to while the time at the famous waterfront.

The waterfront reminded me of the bazaars back home with vendors selling you everything from masks to eatables to souveniers. As i walked along the waterfront the Doge's palace came into view. This is a quite magnificent palce built for the ruler of Venice called the Doge , hence its called the Doge's palace. Its unique pillar style and outer color distinguishes it from other buildings in Venice. As i moved along the wall of the Doge's palace i went past the bridge of sighs. This bridge connects the palace to a dungeon and during medieveal times prisoners who used to be sentenced at the palace used to cross over this bridge into the dungeon. Legend has it that for the prisoners the walk across this bridge was the last time they ever saw Venice hence they used to heave a big sigh as they crossed it and hence the bridge came to be known as the bridge of sighs. Very interesting.

As i navigated across the waterfront i took in some wonderful views of the city. As honeymooners whizzed past me sometimes asking me to take a picture of them i realized why Vencie is a honeymooners paradise. Its got such a unique and beautiful setting with the sea and the waterfront, add to it the historic churches and piazzzas you have a truly wonderful destination in front of you.


As the day was coming to an end it was time to head towards the beautiful Santa Maria del Salute church. There is something about Italian churches that truly sets them apart. For a start people really come here to pray compared to the rest of Europe where they have become tourists attractions in all but name. Of course the artwork adds to the aura what with some of the world's greatest artists contributing their skills to these churches. On a cursory look all italian churches look alike however if you observe closely each one has its own unique style and effect. As i entered the Santa Maria del Salute church i again realized that even though it was similar to other churches it was different too. I experienced a great sense of peace and tranquility which was much needed after a hectic day's travel.

On the way back to my hotel i also went to the Realto bridge. The Grand canal for all its grandness still has only three bridges across it. For such a long canal this came as a bit of a surprise to me. Among the three bridges the Realto bridge is the most famous with its unique architectureal style. Its fame was evident from the hoard of tourists on top of it who jostled with each other for a place on the bridge. Once i finally managed to get on the bridge, the view of the Grand canal was just amazing. The glimpse of venetian life passig underneath was so beautiful. The Gondolas, the water boats with tourists and the serene green waters was soothing to the eyes and the mind. What an end to an incredible day i thought to myself.


December 30, 2009, Wednesday

The water had embraced the city in its arms when i woke up in the morning. The rain was pouring and the resulting high tide had stealthily creeped into the city. In some places the water was a feet high and people had to walk on temporarily erected wooden platforms. Though a bit uncomfortable this was another aspect of the city. No one seemed to be bothered about the water even though it had entered inside some of the low lying shops. This was a part of everyday venetian life and the people of Venice were not too bothered.

In the midst of the water i walked into the Jewish section of the city called the Ghetto. Ghetto is a much maligned term these days but its an innocent Italian word meaning 'borough'. This was a part of the city where the Jews lived as a segregated community. In fact this was the world's first Ghetto. After the crucifixion of Christ the Jews had become somewhat of a despised community and this explains their segregation. Even though they were segregated the Jews were a really talented bunch of people and by sheer dint of intellect, handwork and enterprise had entered into most respectable professions. They were doctors, lawyers, bankers etc. Hence despite being a segregated lot they played a crucial role in the society and had gained respect of the people around them.

As i soaked in the views of the jewish Ghetto my mind harked back to the most famous Venetian Jew - Shylock from Shakespeare's Merchant of Venice. I had read the play in school and my fascination with Venice was partly due to it. Surely the Ghetto would have been the place where Shylock would have lived i thought. Similarly the mind began imagining the scenes from the play. That must be the court room the mind thought and maybe that Antonio's house or maybe Bassanio's. The mind freely jumped around in its imaginary world before coming back to rain soaked Venice.

The narrow , winding streets of Venice seemed to be fantastic and puzzling at the same time. It was easy to get lost in their maze and i wondered just exactly how the locals managed to wonder about. After visiting couple of more beautiful churches it was time for me to bid adeiu to this wonderful city. It had been a truly unique city, the like of which i may never see in the future.