The charming city of Venice had always captured my imagination and so it was during my recent visit to Europe that I planned a sidetrip to Italy. The two-hour flight from Brussels over the magnificent Italian Alps was a good beginning. Reaching St Louis station by bus, I was at once face to face with this dreamy little town literally floating on water.

Having gleaned a host of facts beforehand, it was not only a déjà vu, but also made it easier to visit the sights. There are only two ways to go around here — on foot or by waterways. Actually Venice is a group of more than 100 (118 to be exact) islets crisscrossed by a network of canals and linked by a few hundred bridges at least! Dominating the smaller ones is the Grand Canal. If there is a place free from the noise and pollution of automobiles it must be here. Even the bicycles are not to be seen.

But there is a different kind of noise and congestion; of hordes of tourists, young couples and backpackers. And the best way to feel the pulse of life in this fairyland town where Marco Polo, the great traveller, treaded is to take a walking tour.

The walkways climbed over steps, over tiny bridges across narrow canals on which long slim boats sailed past. Not infrequently wide cobbled squares opened up with a multitude of open air cafes brimming with people, though in a relaxed mood. A sense of timelessness wrapped around and each moment was being lived upto. With the moving musical bands getting closer to each table and playing lilting tunes on the accordion or the flute, accompanied by a vocalist, the ambience was just right to revel in a typically Venetian extravaganza! Some others chose to sit on a bench like a statue while an artist sketched out their profiles.

Continuing my stroll with no hurry, taking in the sights as they came, I was soon at the Rialto bridge, an important landmark as well as a sight to see. This is one of the only three bridges built across the wide grand canal and has some piece of history. Long ago, there were two islands with no link between them. Together called Rivus Altus in Latin, that became Rialto in course of time, they were first connected with a wooden bridge in 13th century.

This link helped the trade to thrive and infinite shops sprang up along the bridge. And this was supposed to be the abode of the famed ‘Merchant of Venice’ too! But it collapsed in 1444 and the present stone bridge was built in 1558 as per the design of Antonio da Ponte. This is a very busy area with compactly stacked shops and stalls selling snacks, vegetables, fruits and flowers. Standing atop Rialto and watching the gondolas and boats glide along was a soul-filling experience.

Before moving on further, I visited one of the eateries for a brunch of Tomato Mozzarella Pizza and a coffee. Following the lanes and bylanes, I was at the San Marco’s Square, the best place to be in Venice. It is a sprawling square with architecturally marvellous buildings, towers, columns and cafeteria. Bustling tourists moving in every direction, the cacophony of souvenir sellers and the flutter of pigeons, which seem to outnumber the people, together made the whole atmosphere heady and lively. The pigeons are so friendly that they perch on your shoulders or head without inhibition to eat the grain and nuts offered. Looking around, the first thing that caught my attention was the church of Basilica di San Marco.

The large exterior is topped by an array of Byzantine domes with the facades and niches richly decorated with mosaic. The sculpture and design is a perfect blend of the European and Asian styles. The interiors are even more appealing with gold and marble mosaics and the Romanesque arches spanning all over. While appreciating the grandiosity, I learnt that the remains of St Mark, to whom the church was dedicated were buried here after being taken away from Alexandria in Egypt secretly in a barrel, a long time ago. It is said, even the bronze images of horses, whose replica can be seen outside above the church, were brought from Constantinople.
Jingle bells!

Right in front of the church stands the tall red squarish Bell Tower, called the Campanile. This 99 m tower has a few bells, each designated for specific purpose like announcing the daybreak or midday and so on. On the other side of Campanile is a large linear building with uniform colonnades and arches that once housed the offices of the administrators. Now it is lined up with cafes each of which spreads into the square with an orchestra of its own.

San Marco’s square has even more to offer; as I discovered walking to the waterfront. Undoubtedly the most impressive architecture is the Doge’s Palace or the Duke’s Palace. According to history, before Venice became a part of Italy, it was ruled by a Duke and the palace was built in 14th century.

Destroyed by a fire in 1577, it was da Ponte again who renovated the palace. It is continuously being repaired and refurbished to preserve its architectural beauty. The most fascinating thing to see here is the colossal painting of Tintoretto — the Vision of Paradise, certainly one of the world’s largest paintings. The Palace is connected outside with a prison cell by the ‘Bridge of Sighs’, so named as the prisoners sighed while being taken here.
For a moment, I was distracted by the sight of massive restoration work along the canal. One fear that the city is living under is the frequent flooding from the sea that seems to submerge the place some day! Vulnerably located on the gulf of the Adriatic sea, Venice is constantly exposed to the annoyance of the high tide, ‘aqua alta’.

To please the eyes once again, I looked across the canal for a lovely view of the San Giorgio Maggiore Island and Church. The various water vehicles, the Gondolas, the Traghettos, boats and ships are all seen in this wide beautiful stretch.

Gondola glee
Having walked the whole day, it was a right choice to sail back on the canal. And no visit to Venice can be justified without a ride on its canals. Though the ubiquitous Gondola, the symbol of Venice, was tempting, its astronomical price made me choose a Vaporetto, a water bus, instead. It was a thoroughly enjoyable journey with the cool breeze blowing in the face and the little waves splashing against the banks.

Back at the station, many of the shops displayed countless number of glass artifacts wonderfully designed and in a variety of colour, created by the famous glassblowers of Murano.

And as darkness fell, I felt a sense of inexplicable bliss looking at the reflection of the moon and the lights in the waters that seemed to rest for the night.