Day 1 - Saturday May 15, 1999 - Venice, Italy: I flew on Air France from Los Angeles to Paris. I like how Air France runs their flights, the seats and service are better than on similar transatlantic flights I have taken with British Air, and KLM. Their food was good, but not much better than the other air carriers I have flown. The long flight was made bearable by my bringing ear plugs, and using the Air France complimentary eye shades. I will never go on a long flight without these two items, kudos to Air France for providing the eye shades.

Day 2 - Sunday May 16, 1999 - Venice, Italy: Continued on another Air France flight from Paris to Venice. This flight was delayed for two hours due to Nato activity out off Aviano Air Force base caused by the war in Kosovo. It was a good flight with once again good seats, and service. On the way we were treated to a spectacular aerial view of Mont Blanc, and the Alps. The sight of Mont Blanc made me eager with anticipation for my visit to Chamonix later on in the trip. Arrived at Venice's Marco Polo airport, and stopped by the Tourist Information office to get a map of the city. However, the line of people was so long that I decided to skip it, and take the Alilaguna "motoscafi" (airport motorboat) into the city (17K lira). The "motoscafi" first stops at Murano island, then at Lido island before heading into Venice, and stopping at San Marco. It is the long and slow way to get into the city, but the spectacular first view of the entrance to Venice as you enter the Canal Grande with San Marco on the right and San Giorgio Maggiore island on the left is well worth it. Just awesome!

I got off at the San Marco water bus stop and headed towards Piazza di San Marco hauling my 18" rollabout anxiously wanting to see all the great sights. The first sight I saw was the entrance to the Piazzetta di San Macro with the columns of San Teodoro, and San Marco. A marble statue of San Teodoro stands on top of his column showing him slaying a dragon that looked more like an alligator to me. Poor San Teodoro, he was the patron saint of Venice until the locals stole the remains of San Marco the Evangelist from Alexandria in 828 AD. A fabulous bronze statue of the winged lion of San Marco stands atop his column. The winged lion of San Marco is now the symbol of Venice, and can be seen all over the city. It is frequently shown with its two front paws on land and its hind legs in water to signify that Venice was both a land, and sea power. I walked between the columns of the two saints, and headed towards the Piazza di San Marco. This magnificent main entrance into Venice was designed to impress the visiting dignitaries as they came into the city during its glory days, it still does. On the right is the Palazzo Ducale, followed by the Basilica di San Marco, and straight ahead at the far end is the Torre dell'Orologio (clock tower). On the left is the Campanile di San Marco, and the Piazza di San Marco. Again, just awesome!

Even though I did not get a map of the city at the airport (like I should have), I decided to walk to my hotel through the streets of Venice. I knew the hotel, the Hotel Giorgione, was in the Cannaregio district right off the Ca d'Oro water bus stop. This would be easy right ? After all, Venice is not that big a place, right ? Wrong !!! After walking for what seemed hours, sometimes in circles, and sometimes running into dead ends, and since it was getting dark, I decided to take a "vaporetto" (water bus) to the Ca d'Oro stop. The name "vaporetto" recalls the days when the boats were propelled by steam engines, the current boats are driven by diesel engines, and it is fun to watch the pilot bring in and hold the water bus right next to the dock allowing the conductor to tie it to the dock in order to allow passengers in and out. The Venetian water bus system is very effective, efficient, and easy to use. I took bus number 82 from San Samuele to San Toma, and then I took the number 1 bus to Ca d'Oro. I walked with the crowd into town, and went into a McDonald's to ask for directions to my hotel. They kindly gave me the directions, and also gave me one of their maps of the city. The moral of the story is to make sure to get a map at the first Tourist Information office you encounter in a new city, regardless of how big a waiting line there is. Checked into the Hotel Giorgione, the single room with bath was very small but clean (SS Apostoli 4587, Cannaregio, 207K lira per night, breakfast included).

Day 3 - Monday May 17, 1999 - Venice, Italy: Excellent breakfast at the Hotel Giorgione. Good selection of cold cuts, French bread, great orange juice, and even scrambled eggs. I got a better map of the city that is printed by Telecom Italy from the hotel clerk. With my new map in hand, I walked to the Ponte di Rialto. This famous bridge is the sturdiest, and largest of the three bridges over the Canal Grande. It is a masonry bridge built with a central road, that is lined by covered shops on both sides, and a beautiful pedestrian walkway balustrade between the shops and the edges of the bridge. The shops sell jewellery, leather goods, countless souvenir trinkets, and the area was a beehive of activity at all hours of the day. I purchased a three day water bus pass at the Ponte di Rialto water bus station (35K lira), and validated it by inserting it into the date stamping machine.

I took the number 1 water bus heading east towards San Marco, it was an overcast day, but the ride down the Canal Grande was magnificent. I made sure to get one of the seats on the bow of the boat for the best view. The Canal Grande is extremely active with many gondolas, and boats going up and down the length of the canal. I loved seeing the people stand in the Traghetto gondolas that cross the Canal Grande in order to provide additional crossing points to the three bridges that span the canal. The palazzos are beautiful old buildings with a uniquely Venetian architecture, specially the very lace-like decorations around windows, doors, and balconies. I was also struck by how brightly colorful the palazzos were, and the wide variety of colors used. A lot of the palazzos seemed to be in need of repair, usually the floors closest to the water had a lot of damage where the stucco layer had been eaten through to the brick foundation of the walls. Nonetheless, the palazzos along the Canal Grande with the gondolas parked in their mooring posts are a beautiful sight. The water bus goes under the dark wooden Ponte dell'Accademia on its way to San Marco. Then suddenly on your right, seemingly to float in the water is the magnificent Santa Maria della Salute church with its beautiful large white dome. This baroque church was built in 1630 to thank the Virgin Mary for the deliverance of the city from a long plague. Next to the Santa Maria della Salute church is the Dogana di Mare (customs house) with a beautiful weather vane figure representing fortune on top of a golden globe. Then after the customs house, again seeming to float on the water, is the church of San Giorgio Maggiori, and its campanile both on their own island.

I got off at the San Marco bus stop, and headed towards the Piazza di San Marco. Once again, I walked between the columns of San Teodoro and San Marco dodging all the flying pigeons. My first stop was the Basilica di San Marco. The exterior view of the basilica impressed me with the uniqueness of the Venetian architecture which was heavily influenced by Byzantinian culture. The basilica is in the form of a Greek cross with five domes, there is a dome over every point of the cross, and the largest dome is at the center of the cross. The roof of the atrium of the basilica is exuberantly decorated with many statues of angels whose wings are painted in gold, all underneath the central statue of San Marco himself who is over the highest point on the central arch of the atrium's roof. Directly under the statue of San Marco, stands a gold winged lion of San Marco, and beneath this is a loggia on which are set the four horses of San Marco. These horses are replicas of the originals which are now inside the basilica. The basilica has a large central arched entry, and four other small arched entries, two on either side of the main entrance. Each arched entrance's façade has a beautiful colorful mosaic, the only surviving original entrance façade mosaic is on the door farthest to the left (1260-1270), and it shows the locals bringing the stolen body of San Marco into the basilica.

I stood in line to get into the basilica, and after about fifteen minutes or so I was in. First you enter the atrium of the basilica and on its ceilings are some wonderful mosaics, the most famous of which is the Genesis Cupola Mosaic to the right of the main entrance which shows the creation of the world. Once inside the basilica itself, the first thing I noticed was that the geometrically patterned marbled mosaic floor was not flat, but undulates in waves due to the fact that it was built on pylons driven into the marshy soil of the Venetian islands which are sinking at different rates. Initially, I found the basilica to be rather dark, but then they turned on the lights, and the brilliance of all the mosaics inside really started to shine through. The mosaic in the first dome once you enter the basilica is the famous Pentecost Dome Mosaic that has all twelve apostles each being touched by a "tongue of flame" emanating from the holy spirit in the center. The mosaic in the large center dome is known as the Ascension Dome Mosaic, it shows Christ in heaven with the twelve apostles, two angels, and the Virgin Mary surrounding him.

Inside the basilica, I went upstairs to visit the Galleria (entry fee of 3K lira) where the original four horses of San Marco are kept. The horses are truly beautiful, they are made of copper (not bronze), and were stolen by the Venetians from Constantinople's Hippodrome (horse racetrack) in 1204. However, the horses are believed to originate from an earlier time in either Rome or Greece. Each horse has a collar around the neck that was added later to cover where the horses head's were cut off to make transportation easier. The horses were in turn stolen from Venice by Napoleon when he conquered the city in 1797, and he sent them to Paris to be placed on top of the Arc de Triomphe du Carousel outside the Louvre. Luckily for Venice, the horses where returned in 1815 after the fall of Napoleon. Next I went out on the Loggia di Cavalli where the replica horses are set with a sweeping view of the Piazza di San Marco and the campanile. I went back down to the ground level of the basilica and visited the Treasury (entry fee of 4K lira). Then lastly, I visited the Sanctuary and Pala d'Oro (entry fee 3K lira). The Sanctuary contains the Baldacchino (altar canopy) over the tomb of San Marco, and the Pala d'Oro is a large (4.6 feet tall by 11.4 feet wide) precious jewel studded gold altarpiece built in the 10th century that is considered the most valuable treasure in the basilica.

I left the basilica and headed for the campanile, and rode the elevator to the top for a 360 degree spectacular view of Venice (8K lira). The campanile is a 323 foot tall brick tower, the platform at the top is right under the bells providing a great view of the Piazza di San Marco, the five domes of the basilica, the Palazzo Ducale, and the rest of Venice. The original campanile collapsed in 1902, and the current campanile was completed in 1912. Unfortunately for me, the Torre dell'Orologio (clock tower), the baptistery, and the Porta della Carta (main entrance to the Palazzo Ducale) were all covered up and closed for renovation.

Next I went to the Palazzo Ducale , the palazzo is composed of three wings forming a U-shape with the open end backing into the basilica. The two wings facing the piazetta and the lagoon have their entire ground floor ringed with a magnificent colonnade, and the upper floors are uniquely designed with a geometric pattern of white and pink bricks. The upper floors of these two wings contain a few large windows, and there is a balcony in the center of each wing from which the Dodge would appear to the people. The third wing on the back, faces the prison building on the other side of a small canal and connects to it through the elevated Ponte dei Suspiri (Bridge of Sighs).

The tourist's entrance to the Palazzo Ducale is through the Porta del Frumento on the south wing that faces the lagoon, the entry ticket costs 17K lira. The entrance to the palazzo leads to the interior rectangular courtyard with its two magnificent bronze water well heads. At the far end of the courtyard, the end that backs into the basilica, is the Foscari triumphal arch with the figures of Adam and Eve on it. To the right of the triumphal arch is the open air Scala dei Giganti (Giant's Staircase) that leads from the courtyard up to the loggia floor. This staircase is so named because of the two large statues of Neptune on the right side, and Mars on the left side at the top of the staircase. The entry archway at the top of the staircase is decorated with a statue of the winged lion of San Marco. The symbolism is clear, the Venetian republic (the winged lion) is a mighty sea power (Neptune), and land power (Mars). The Dodge would stand at the top of the Scala dei Giganti when welcoming visiting dignitaries who would be impressed, and intimidated by the magnificence of the palazzo.

Visitors are not allowed to walk up and down the Scala dei Giganti, so you have to use the Scala dei Censori (Censor's Staircase) at the southeastern corner of the courtyard to reach the loggia floor. There you find the magnificently decorated Scala d'Oro (Golden Staircase) which again is used to impress visitors with the wealth of the republic. The Scala d'Oro provides access to the government offices, and the living quarters of the Dodges on the top two floors of the palace (first and second floors). The rooms on the top two floors of the palace are just awesome, imagine a home whose wallpaper consists of paintings by Veronese, Tintoretto, and Titian (Tiziano). My favorite rooms in the palace are the Sala del Maggior Consiglio, Sala dell'Anticollegio, Sala del Collegio, and the Sala dello Scudo. The Sala del Maggior Consiglio (Hall of the Great Council) is the largest room in the palace, it is on the first floor, and can hold up to 3000 persons. It was in this room that the republic's council would convene to pass laws, vote on constitutional matters, and elect high officials. The eastern end of this room contains Tintoretto's "Paradise" wall mural, which at 25 x 81 feet is considered one of the largest paintings ever made. The ceiling is decorated with magnificent painted panels glorifying the Venetian republic. This room has the balcony that looks over the lagoon, and it also has a series of frieze paintings along the walls of 76 dodges (out of a total of 119 dodges) including one covered by a black curtain which belongs to Dodge Marin Felier (the 54th dodge) who was beheaded for treason in 1355. The Sala dell'Anticollegio is on the second floor of the palace, and it was the waiting room where dignitaries waited before being taken to see the dodge in the Sala del Collegio. The Sala dell' Anticollegio has a wonderful end wall decorated by Tintoretto with mythological scenes, it also contains Veronese's masterpiece "The Rape of Europa" . The Sala del Collegio is the room the dodge would use to accept visiting dignitaries, it contains a large number of magnificent Veronese paintings. The Sala dello Scudo (Shield Room) is on the first floor of the palace, I like it because of the amazing ancient maps painted on its walls, and the two large ancient globes of the earth.

Another sight not to be missed in the Palazzo Ducale is the "bocca di leone" (mouth of the lion) in the Sala della Bussola. Citizens would insert written notes to denounce law breakers into the "bocca di leone". The entrance to the Ponte dei Sospiri (Bridge of Sighs) is on the first floor of the palace. I went across the bridge, stopped in the middle, and looked out through the grill to the Venetian lagoon and sighed like you are supposed to. The bridge leads you to the new prison building where all of a sudden the opulence of the palace ends and the bleakness of the prison begins.

Day 4 - Tuesday May 18, 1999 - Venice, Italy: A magnificent sunny day in Venice. I walked through the streets of the Cannaregio district going from my hotel to the Santa Lucia train station to reserve a couchette for my upcoming night train trip to Vienna. The long walk to the train station takes you through several small bridges over side canals, the city is bustling with tourists, and there are several open air markets along the way. It suddenly dawns on me that there are no powered land vehicles in Venice, no cars, motorcycles or mopeds. Even bicycles were few and far between, probably because the many small bridges that have to be crossed are mostly designed with just steps for pedestrians. All materials, food, and goods needed by businesses are brought in on power boats, and there were men all over the place using carts to unload them. After a while I arrived at the train station, and proceeded to make my couchette reservation, I chose an upper berth in a four bed compartment. In front of the train station is the third bridge over the Canal Grande, the Ponte degli Scalzi (bridge of the barefoot ones). This is also a masonry bridge, but it is much smaller than the Ponte di Rialto.

I took bus number 82 at the Ferrovia Scalzi bus stop heading east towards Lido island. This bus goes up and down the Canal Grande just like bus number 1, but it doesn't stop at every station. Once again, I managed to get seat on the bow of the boat. The ride up the Canal Grande was even better than the previous day because of the beautiful sunny weather. I reached Lido island and got off to check it out. The first thing I noticed was that it was a lot greener, with a lot more trees than Venice. It also had streets, cars, and buses. Nonetheless, Lido island is a beautiful place, it was much less crowded than Venice, and you could tell that many locals lived here. Whereas, Venice is deserted by the locals and left to the tourists each and every night. I would seriously consider staying at a hotel on Lido island on my next trip to Venice.

Next I took bus number 82 heading west back towards Venice, the bus goes down the Canal Grande and then loops behind Tronchetto island back into the Canale della Giudecca heading east towards San Giorgio Maggiore island. The area past the railroad station, and around Tronchetto island is the industrial, unappealing area of Venice full of large cargo ships. The Canale della Giudecca is a much wider canal than the Canal Grande, but it is not lined with the magnificent palazzo's that make that canal grand. I got off at the end of the line at San Giorgio Maggiore island. From this island there are spectacular views of San Marco across the lagoon. The island is home to the beautiful San Giorgio Maggiori church which was designed and built in the late 1500's by Palladian in the classical Roman style. I visited the interior of the church to see Tintoretto's "Last Supper", and his last work "The Entombment" in the Chapel of the Dead. There were very few visitors on the island, and I felt as if I had the entire place to myself. Lastly, I rode the elevator to the top of the island's campanile and was treated to a magnificent view of Venice, and specially San Marco across the lagoon.

Took bus number 82 heading west back towards Venice. I got off at the Zattere bus stop on the Dorsoduro district in order to walk east along the Canale della Giudecca towards the Punta Dogana della Salute, the point of the custom's house right across from San Marco. I then made the turn onto the Canal Grande and walked west towards the Santa Maria della Salute church. Continued walking west and crossed the Accademia bridge over the Canal Grande into the San Marco district.

Day 5 - Wednesday May 19, 1999 - Venice, Italy: I visited the Gallerie dell'Accademia museum. This museum is housed in the old Santa Maria della Carita church and its convent buildings (15K lira). It holds the largest collection of Venetian artworks of any museum in the world. Among the most significant masterpieces are Giovanni Bellini's altarpiece for the San Giobbe church, Giorgione's "The Tempest", Titian's "Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary at the Temple" (the cutouts in this wall painting where made to accommodate two new doors), Carpaccio's eight painting cycle "The Legend of Saint Ursula", and Veronese's "Feast in the House of Levi" and "Madonna Enthroned with Saints", Giovanni Bellini was the founder of the Venetian school of painting, and his pupils included Giorgione and Titian. Sadly, his greatest works was a set of paintings created for the Sala del Maggior Consiglio in the Palazzo Ducale that were destroyed by a fire. One of my favorite paintings in the Galleria dell'Accademia is Giovanni Bellini's San Giobbe's Altarpiece because this composition of the virgin with child enthroned, and surrounded by saints was central to Renaissance Venetian art. I also love the exquisite three dimensional architectural detail of the throne room, and the realism of the figures. The Galleria dell'Accademia also has a good number of Giovanni Bellini's Madonna's (my favorite is "Madonna with Blessing Child") which was one of his favorite topics judging from the large number of these that he painted. Veronese's "Feast in the House of Levi" was initially commissioned as a Last Supper, but his depiction of this solemn occasion was too jovial for the authorities, and thus he found himself accused of heresy in front of the Inquisition. Veronese defended himself well, and got off by cleverly renaming the painting.

I found two other Galleria della'Accademia paintings very interesting since they showed Venice as it was during the Renaissance. The first painting is by Gentile Bellini, Giovanni's younger brother, and it is the "Procession of the Relic in the Piazza di San Marco". This painting shows the procession in the piazza, and in the background are the entrance doors to the Basilica di San Marco. The second interesting painting is Carpaccio's "Healing of a Madman", it shows the Canal Grande with the old wooden Ponte di Rialto in the background, the painting shows that the bridge had a retractable center section. As luck would have it, the museum was having a temporary exhibit of sketches by many Renaissance artists, and to my joy they had on display Leonardo da Vinci's famous "Vitruvian Man" drawing. This drawing was made by Leonardo as an illustration for a book on the works of the Roman architect Vitruvius (70 - 25 BC).

Next, I visited Santa Maria Gloriosa dei Frari church to see the two Titian masterpieces that this church holds. The "Assumption of the Virgin" resides over the high altar of the church, and the "Madonna di Ca' Pesaro" is in an aisle of the church. This church also has a beautiful Giovanni Bellini Triptych Altarpiece with the virgin with child enthroned in the center panel with two cherubs playing music at their feet, and saints in the two side panels. Also in this church are the tombs of two dodges, and several large monuments, including monuments to Titian, and the sculptor Antonio Canova.
I spent the rest of the day just walking around Venice, enjoying the city and all the great sights. At night I headed back to the Piazza di San Marco to see the basilica, and the palazzo lit up. The square was very lively with the bands at Florian's café and Quadri's café taking turns playing sets of music to entertain the crowds. Most people, like me, just listened and did not sit down, because if you sit, then you have to buy something from the café for some astronomically high price.

I visited the Scala Contarini del Bovolo (3K lira entrance), this is a spiral staircase tower from the top of which you have another great view of Venice. Next, I went back to the Basilica di San Marco, and went inside again to look at the magnificent mosaics. I rode up and down the Canal Grande a few more times before heading out to the Santa Lucia train station. In all, I found Venice to be the unique, and magical place that its many visitors have described it to be, I hope someday to return to see her again. I boarded the Eurostar night train to Vienna at 8:45PM, this started the clock on my 10 days in 2 month Europass which with the additional Austria/Hungary zone cost $588, the car attendant took my passport to present at the Italian-Austrian border while I slept, and I went into my compartment. The train was almost empty, and so I had the compartment all to myself. This was fortuitous since the upper berth that I had selected would not have been very comfortable due to its being too close to the ceiling of the train for my taste, thus I moved into one of the lower berths. I tried to get some sleep with the small pillow, and blanket that they provide, but I only managed to sleep during half of the trip.

1999 Trip Travelogue

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