Italy Trip: Venice

On our way to our next stop (Venice, above) we took an afternoon stop in Vicenza where we had lunch on our own and some free time (below.)

 

This is my only shot of me eating. Vicenza is home to the very famous architect of the Renaissance, Palladio. You'll recognize his signature in many of the buildings of modern day Washington DC. After lunch I did a walking tour of Vicenza to see about 20 of his buildings there. Exciting for an art historian, but not so much for normal people, perhaps.

We arrived in Venice in the late afternoon. We'd heard that the crowds were atrocious, which was true, but I learned here that going out in the early morning and staying up late provided ample time to walk around and miss the tourists. 

The Grand Canal from the famous Rialto Bridge.

I took very little time to see the main tourist sights. Mostly I walked the streets, as you can see by my photos. Venice itself was far more interesting than its churches and art. It consists of:

Canals,

Skinny streets, only for walking,

And occasional piazzas (usually with a cistern, as above) 

Goods are transported by boat and loaded on the shoulders of poor souls who have to deliver everything on foot. The lowest levels of the buildings, along all the walkways, are all shops filled with luxury and tourist goods. 

Gondolas are everywhere, and when not in use they wait in "parking lots" like this

Another canal

The Venice Biennale (an international art fair) was happening while I was there, and outdoor sculpture "popped up" here and here.

Another canal

Another canal

The Grand Canal. The water was turquoise, perhaps more than in this image. 

St. Mark's Basilica was large and impressive, inside and out, but photography was forbidden inside and the outside was too big to capture properly. 

As long as I could avoid the crowds I loved every minute of being in Venice. No images do it justice, and I could have explored it for a month and not feel like I'd had enough.