VENICE, Italy – An early morning mist glides over the white marble bridge. A dog in the distance barks, then silently trots up slippery steps and disappears. An old trawler, its deck filled with red, orange and yellow fruit, flows under the bridge, and then anchors. The men with fresh fish piled high on ice have erected their stalls long ago. Draped in heavy cotton vests, their collective breath creates another mist which evaporates in an instant.
This is the scene near Venice’s famed Rialto Bridge, in the heart of the city’s commercial district, on an early winter morning. For visitors, it is as close as they’ll get to experience this ancient city as it may have been hundreds of years ago.
Without the usual crush of tourists who descend on the city most times of the year, Venice in winter is more of a sensation than a place. It is the season when Venetians take their city back. Mothers luxuriate with hours of chatter on the Campo Santa Margherita. A sales lady at the stationery store on the Calle della Bissa sighs and says: “This is the Venice of the ages. I love this time of the year.”
It is also the season when there are no lines and hotels are more affordable.
The domes of San Marco Basilica, bell tower Campanile and the red-tiled roofs of Medieval houses are among the most recognizable symbols of Venice. (Yuliya Popova)
Many people will try to see Venice in a day: The 6:45 a.m. fast train from Rome is frequently filled with bleary-eyed tourists who hope an 11-hour jaunt will be sufficient to see the city’s splendors.
But for someone who has visited Venice six times now, the city is best when it is returned to, savored and, like an old lover, experienced anew.
The heart of Venice is Piazza San Marco with its St. Mark’s Basilica and Doge Palace. If you have only one day, or even a few hours, in the city, this is a must-see. The piazza is easily reached by foot from almost any corner of the city. Signs posted on building corners throughout point the way to it, as well as other major landmarks, including Rialto Bridge.
Ukrainian visitors will immediately feel a kinship with the basilica; it is one of the finest examples of Byzantium architecture in the world.
Like Kyiv’s St. Sophia’s Cathedral, St. Mark’s boasts images of the Oranta – the Virgin Mary – as well as inscriptions in Latin and Greek. Nicknamed the Chiesa d’Oro, or Church of Gold, because of its gilded interior, some of the cathedral’s most splendid and easily viewed mosaics are hidden behind curtains in chapels reserved for prayer. If you enter, however, be sure to actually pray. If you duck into a chapel merely to take a peek, guards and worshippers alike may reprimand you with a “tisk-tisk.”
In winter, the basilica is best seen in the morning. Although it has its charm with low winter light, St. Mark’s becomes dark in mid-afternoon, making its stunning mosaics harder to see.
After so many visits, the one Venetian interior I had never seen was Doge’s Palace. The deterrent had always been the long lines on each previous visit. This time, however, I paid the 12 euro entrance fee and had the palace virtually to myself.
A couple strolls along the Grand Canal pier on St. Valentine’s day, Feb. 14. (Yuliya Popova)
Constructed between 1309 and 1324, the Doge was the seat of government of the former Venetian Republic. Filled with magnificent wood paneled rooms and sumptuous paintings, the palace boasts a number of breathtaking staircases and chambers. In the Doge’s apartments, my favorite was the map room, which hosts two huge globes and regional maps painted onto the walls. Be sure to ask the museum officials where you can see a painting by young Titian, hidden in a secret place. In the institutional chambers, which housed the organs of political and judicial administration, the 54-meter length Grand Council Chamber will take your breath away.
Even without a crush of tourists, you’ll need at least two hours to see Doge’s Palace.
Afterwards, linger at the Grand Canal, the main water artery cutting the city in half. Even on a cloudy day, this is the vantage point to get a true appreciation of the artistry and skill it took to build Venice.
One of my favorite corners of the city is the Jewish ghetto, although a trip there may not be for everyone. Poorly maintained, the quarter is most famous for its historical significance. Located not far from the Santa Lucia train station, it was one of those rare places in Europe where Jews were allowed to go about their lives normally in the Middle Ages. The Jews couldn’t leave the quarter but weren’t burnt for heresy as was the case in many other European kingdoms. The word ghetto apparently originated from this area.
Today, this intimate quarter is home to five synagogues, a kosher restaurant and shops selling a wide variety of Jewish art, including colorful mezuzahs made of Murano glass.
No trip to Venice is complete without a ride along the Grand Canal. While gondola journeys have become pricey in recent years, it is one of those life pleasures that should not be missed. Still, one of the best deals in Venice today is the so-called tourist travel card on the ACTV public boats. With certain exceptions, it allows unlimited travel on the system’s water and land services for periods from 12 hours to seven days. It’s chilly in winter, but go ahead, (secretly) uncork a bottle of wine, get a seat at the front of the boat – it’s easy this time of year – and put on Vivaldi. He was born in Venice, you know.
Kyiv Post staff writer Natalia A. Feduschak can be reached at [email protected].
