First Day in Venice!
Venice is a beautiful city known as the Queen of the Adriatic, the City of Water, City of Masks, City of Bridges, The Floating City, and City of Canals.
Venice is divided into five neighborhoods – Cannaregio, San Marco, Castello, Dorsoduro, Santa Croce, and San Polo. I visited all five areas on the first day of my trip.
My day began with a visit to the Doge’s Palace.
In Italian, this is the Palazzo Ducale. This palace was built in 1340. The Doge’s Palace was the seat of the Venetian government for nearly seven centuries and the home of the Doge of Venice. The Doge was the supreme authority of the former Republic of Venice.
As I toured this massive palace, I thought of my husband. We used to lose each other in our 3,000 square foot home. If it wasn’t for the directional arrows throughout the palace, I would still be there looking for an exit!!
The rooms were massive and dripping with artwork.
Even the fireplace mantles were massive with life size figurines on either side as if they were holding up the mantle.
In many of the rooms, the ceilings were more decorative than the walls.
There were several rooms that displayed the weaponry used by the Venetians during that time period.
As I followed the arrows on my self-guided tour, I found myself in the Piombi which is the former prison located in the lower part of the palace.
The prison construction dates back to the 16th century. One of the famous people imprisoned in the Piombi was Giacomo Casanova who was also one of the only ones to successfully escape from the prison and write about it in 1787.
After a few more twists and turns, up and down stairs, and corridors, I found myself once again in an elaborate room of paintings and amazing woodwork.
The next stop on my list was the San Marco Basilica – however, when I exited the Doge Palace I noticed the line to enter the Basilica was wrapped around the building. I immediately revised my itinerary and headed to the Rialto Bridge.
The Rialto Bridge is the oldest of four bridges spanning the Grand Canal in Venice and is a significant tourist attraction in the city.
The original construction of this bridge took place in 1173. The beautiful Rialto Bridge also connects the San Marco and San Polo neighborhoods.
As many of you know, my last name – Mercado – is Spanish and means “market.” In Italian, this word means the same, but is spelled with a “t” instead of a “d” – Mercato.
It didn’t take long for me to find the Fish Market, Vegetable Market, and of course, special stores with homemade pasta.
In planning for this trip, I had several churches on my list to visit and found many more by purposefully getting lost in the city.
The first of these surprises was the Chiesa San Giacomo di Rialto.
This was a beautiful little church nestled near the market.
The San Giovanni Crisostomo is a small church located in the neighborhood of Cannaregio.
This little gem was built in 1080. It was destroyed by fire in 1475 and rebuilt in 1497 with completion in 1525.
One of the things that caught my eye during my visit to these many churches was the different styles of confessionals.
Confession is an important sacrament in the Catholic Church. It is a very freeing and beautiful sacrament that I have learned to appreciate over the years. The woodwork and design of these confessionals were beautiful reflections of the unique architecture of each of the churches that housed them.
As I made my way to the Church of Santa Maria Assunta in the Cannaregio neighborhood, I saw lots of canals, crossed over many bridges with gondolas EVERYWHERE!
Although I didn’t take an official gondola tour, I did embark on a gondola ride across the Grand Canal for 2 Euro!
The Church of Santa Maria Assunta was magnificent.
The artwork in these churches is amazing. Sometimes you just have to sit and allow your eyes to move from one end of the building to the next to take it all in.
As I continued my walk, there was gelato and Italian pastries EVERYWHERE!
This picture, in a meat market window, made me smile! Looks like something from New York’s Little Italy!
The next church on my list was the Church of San Polo in the San Polo and Santa Croce neighborhood.
This church had a separate room titled Oratory of the Crucifix.
The Stations of the Cross on the walls of this chapel were of large-scale proportion and very well done.
Another one of the churches on my list and located near the Church of San Polo was the Basilica of Santa Maria Gloriosa dei Frari.
This is a minor basilica dedicated to the Assumption of the Blessed Mother and is commonly known as the Frari.
One of the most amazing structures in this basilica is the burial monument of Antonio Canova.
The Church of San Rocco also located in the San Polo neighborhood is dedicated to Saint Roch and was built between 1489 and 1508.
As I explore these beautiful churches, I also learn about the story of the saints named for these structures. Saint Roch was a Frenchman born in 1295. He is the patron saint of dogs and dog lovers. He was highly regarded in the late Middle Ages because of the many healings he provided during the black plague of Europe. These healings occurred when Saint Roch simply made the sign of the cross over the diseased victims. As a result, many Italian towns chose Saint Roch as their patron saint. The connection to dogs had to do with his own healing. It seems, despite Saint Roch’s immediate contact with plague victims, that it took years for Saint Roch to contract the disease which presented itself as a sore on his leg. When this became apparent, he sought refuge in an abandoned forest hut. One of the local nobleman’s hunting dogs found Saint Roch. The dog would bring the saint food daily and lick the wound on his leg. Eventually, the dog brought the nobleman to the hut where Saint Roch was discovered and cared for properly. He recovered from the illness and years later was imprisoned by his uncle who did not recognize him. Dressed as a pilgrim, Saint Roch was charged as a spy. He died in prison. When the plague broke out again in 1414, the intercession of Saint Roch was encouraged by the Council Fathers after which the plague ceased.
One of the oddest structures I’ve ever seen so far in a church was found in the Church of San Rocco.
I have always loved the Pieta, but this is a very different style. Let me know in the comments below what you think of this. I can’t say it was a favorite of mine.
I stopped in the middle of the day for lunch. Not knowing what to order, I decided on a sampling of different types of bruschetta. They were all AMAZING!
The Basilica of Santa Maria Della Salute was under partial construction. The parts I was able to tour were very beautiful.
I headed back to the San Marco square on the public water bus system. I knew I couldn’t leave Venice without seeing the Basilica of San Marco. The line was shorter then the morning but still long. I ate gelato and took pictures of the outside of the basilica while waiting for entry.
The church of San Marco was consecrated in 1094 and designated a minor basilica in 1807.
The basilica is MAGNIFICENT!
While visiting, I was able to see the Pala D’oro which is the high altar retable. This art piece is universally recognized as one of the most refined and accomplished words of Byzantine enamel.
The beauty of this basilica abounded in all areas as I was led up a narrow stairway to the museum and the front balcony of the basilica.
On the top, outside front of the basilica, are a set of four horses.
These horses are replicas of the original horses housed in the Basilica Museum. These horses of Saint Mark are also known as the Triumphal Quadriga. The bronze statues were originally part of a monument depicting four horse carriages used for chariot racing. The bronze horses were placed on the façade of the basilica after the sack and looting of Constantinople in 1204 and were stolen by Napoleon in 1797. The statues were returned in 1815 and remain in the San Marco Museum in the Basilica.
By the end of the day, I walked 21,585 steps for a total of 9.2 miles – which for me justified the gelato and many Italian pastries along the way!
It was a beautiful, fun day in Venice. The next day I did a day trip to Padua. Let me know in the comments below if you know the name of the famous patron Saint of Padua. Also, let me know in the comments below if you’ve ever been to Venice and what you like best about the city.
Stay tuned for more adventure!
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