June 19, 2015

Venice, Italy

The leaning campanile of Chiesa di Santo Stefano ("Church of St. Stephen").
The leaning campanile of Chiesa di Santo Stefano (“Church of St. Stephen”).
A canal in the morning.
A canal in the morning.
Another canal in the morning.
Another canal in the morning.
The Clock Tower and St. Mark's Basilica seen from the Piazza San Marco.
The Clock Tower and St. Mark’s Basilica seen from the Piazza San Marco.
The Clock Tower seen from the loggia of St. Mark's Basilica.
The Clock Tower seen from the loggia of St. Mark’s Basilica.
The Campanile seen from St. Mark's Basilica.
The Campanile seen from St. Mark’s Basilica.
The replica Horses of Saint Mark on the loggia above the porch, of St. Mark's Basilica.
The replica Horses of Saint Mark on the loggia above the porch, of St. Mark’s Basilica.
The Piazza San Marco with its three tall flag poles (the Venetian flag of St Mark used to fly from them in the time of the Republic of Venice), seen from the Basilica.
The Piazza San Marco with its three tall flag poles (the Venetian flag of St Mark used to fly from them in the time of the Republic of Venice), seen from the Basilica.
The Doge's Palace and the two columns in the Piazza San Marco, seen from the Basilica.
The Doge’s Palace and the two columns in the Piazza San Marco, seen from the Basilica.
The Bridge of Sighs, seen from the Ponte della Paglia.
The Bridge of Sighs, seen from the Ponte della Paglia.
The entrance to the Venetian Arsenal.
The entrance to the Venetian Arsenal.
Towers flanking each side of the canal to the Venetian Arsenal.
Towers flanking each side of the canal to the Venetian Arsenal.
A canal with colorful buildings in Venice.
A canal with colorful buildings in Venice.
Canal in the island of Murano.
Canal in the island of Murano.
'Comet Glass Star' by Simone Cenedese (2007 AD), with a campanile standing tall in the background.
‘Comet Glass Star’ by Simone Cenedese (2007 AD), with a campanile standing tall in the background.
Murano's "Grand Canal".
Murano’s “Grand Canal”.
Ancient glass artifacts on display inside the Glass Museum.
Ancient glass artifacts on display inside the Glass Museum.
'Coppa Barovier' - blue blown glass painted with polychrome enamels and gold (Venetian, ca. 1460 AD).
‘Coppa Barovier’ – blue blown glass painted with polychrome enamels and gold (Venetian, ca. 1460 AD).
Crystal stem glass with a flower's shank and stem (Venetian, 17th/18th-century AD).
Crystal stem glass with a flower’s shank and stem (Venetian, 17th/18th-century AD).
Glass skylights in the shape of animals (Venetian, 17th-century AD).
Glass skylights in the shape of animals (Venetian, 17th-century AD).
Chalcedony glasses with stains of avventurina glass inside (Venetian, 17th/18th-century AD).
Chalcedony glasses with stains of avventurina glass inside (Venetian, 17th/18th-century AD).
An enameled "milk glass" - an opaque or translucent, milk white or colored glass (Venetian, 18th-century AD).
An enameled “milk glass” – an opaque or translucent, milk white or colored glass (Venetian, 18th-century AD).
Chalice with a decorative stem and flowers (Venetian, 19th-century AD).
Chalice with a decorative stem and flowers (Venetian, 19th-century AD).
A glass cock.
A glass cock.
"Zephyr" crystal bottles slightly fume tinted with spots shaded of ruby, amber, and aquamarine (Murano, 1982 AD).
“Zephyr” crystal bottles slightly fume tinted with spots shaded of ruby, amber, and aquamarine (Murano, 1982 AD).
'Tall Drop Vase' and 'Short Drop Vase' by Alfredo Barbini (1962 AD).
‘Tall Drop Vase’ and ‘Short Drop Vase’ by Alfredo Barbini (1962 AD).
The Church of San Michele in Isola, located on the Isola di San Michele which houses Venice's cemetery.
The Church of San Michele in Isola, located on the Isola di San Michele which houses Venice’s cemetery.
Another pleasant canal in Venice.
Another pleasant canal in Venice.
The Church of Santa Maria Assunta (“known as I Gesuiti”), which was built in 1729 AD.
The Church of Santa Maria Assunta (“known as I Gesuiti”), which was built in 1729 AD.
A lovely canal with warm colored buildings.
A lovely canal with warm colored buildings.
Pistachio-flavored Pan del pescatore.
Pistachio-flavored Pan del pescatore.
Yet another fine canal.
Yet another fine canal.
San Geremia Church.
San Geremia Church.
Carnival masks.
Carnival masks.
Candy-cane docking poles in the Grand Canal.
Candy-cane docking poles in the Grand Canal.
Closer view of the Ponte degli Scalzi ("Bridge of the Barefoot Monks").
Closer view of the Ponte degli Scalzi (“Bridge of the Barefoot Monks”).
The Grand Canal with San Simeone Piccolo Church visible.
The Grand Canal with San Simeone Piccolo Church visible.
Boats running up and down the Grand canal.
Boats running up and down the Grand canal.
A picturesque cafe.
A picturesque cafe.
Looking at the intersecting canals from where the four bridges meet, near the Hotel Arlecchino.
Looking at the intersecting canals from where the four bridges meet, near the Hotel Arlecchino.
My dinner of Spaghetti al Nero di Seppia (i.e. spaghetti with cuttlefish ink and chunks).
My dinner of Spaghetti al Nero di Seppia (i.e. spaghetti with cuttlefish ink and chunks).
Italian red wine made from Negromaro grapes.
Italian red wine made from Negromaro grapes.

I slept in again today and did not awaken until 09:00 (I had hoped to get up by 06:00, but my body said, “No”). I then showered, dressed, grabbed my camera and tripod, and walked out of the hotel, toward Piazza San Marco. When I finally reached the piazza, there was already a long line for the Saint Mark’s Basilica and I joined the end of it. Luckily, the line didn’t take too long and within twenty minutes, I was inside the basilica. The current basilica dates back to the eleventh-century AD, though a number of modifications have occurred since then. The interior is based on a Greek cross, with each arm divided into three naves with a dome of its own as well as the main dome above the crossing; also the entire ceiling is covered in mosaics, which are primarily made up of gold glass tesserae. Unfortunately, photography was not allowed inside the building, so I have no photos to share of the beautiful interior. Once inside the church, I walked around, mostly admiring the stunning mosaics above. I also visited the small treasury (for a fee) and looked at many pieces of bones that supposedly belonged to various saints. I then walked around the altar (for another fee), and looked at the altarpiece, which has two sides and can be rotated based on the occasion; also, underneath the altar, is the sarcophagus of Saint Mark the Evangelist; the story goes, that in 828 AD, relics believed to be the body of St. Mark were stolen from Alexandria (at the time controlled by the Abbasid Caliphate) by two Venetian merchants with the help of two Greek monks and taken to Venice; it is also worth pointing out that Saint Mark’s symbol is the winged lion (“Lion of Saint Mark”) and thus the reason why it is also the symbol of Venice and can be found all throughout the city. After touring the inside of the basilica, I walked upstairs to the museum and terrace, where I had more great views of the inside, as well as nice views of the piazza; the museum itself goes in to more detail about the history of the basilica, its mosaics, and has some well-crafted tapestries on display. Once done seeing everything that Saint Mark’s Basilica had to offer, I walked outside and viewed the exterior of the Bridge of Sighs, which I had crossed yesterday during my tour of the Doge’s Palace. I then wandered east through the maze-like streets of Venice and found myself at the Arsenal, which is a complex of former shipyards and armories clustered together in the city; prior to the Industrial Revolution, the Venetian Arsenal was the largest industrial complex in Europe, spanning an area of about 45 hectares; it is still owned by the navy and only authorized personnel may enter inside. I then walked north and made my way to the ferry docks at Fondamente Nove. From there, I took a ferry to Murano (a group of islands north of Venice). Murano is famous for its glass making and there are many glass shops on the islands thanks to a decree ordering glassmakers to move their foundries to Murano in 1291 AD out of fear that the city’s wooden building might succumb to fire. Murano’s glassmakers held a monopoly on high-quality glassmaking for centuries, developing or refining many technologies including optically clear glass, enameled glass (“smalto”), glass with threads of gold (“aventurine”), multicolored glass (“millefiori”), milk glass (“lattimo”), and imitation gemstones made of glass. Once the ferry reached Murano (only about a mile away), I walked around, following one canal to Murano’s Grand Canal, and, from there, to another canal. I soon reached the Glass Museum, which is located in the Palazzo Giustinian (the former residence of the bishops of Torcello); inside the museum were many artifacts (some of them fantastically well-crafted) dating from the Roman times to the twentieth-century AD. I walked around the inside of the museum and viewed the stunning collection and in less than an hour I was done (it was a relatively small museum, at least by Western European standards). I then walked around Murano some more, looking at all the interesting glassworks on display, before returning to the ferry dock and taking the next ferry back to Fondamente Nove. Once back at Venice, I walked to the Church of Santa Maria Assunta (“known as I Gesuiti”), which was built in 1729 AD, and waited around there for ten minutes before it opened to the public (after 16:00). After the doors opened, I entered inside and looked around at all the marvelous sculptures adorning the sides of the nave; I then walked to sacristy and viewed the paintings in there before exiting back through the nave and out the church (sadly, no photography was permitted inside). Immediately after exiting the church, it began to rain; the nasty storm clouds I had spotted while on Murano had finally arrived. I walked through the streets of until I passed by a small standing-room-only café, where I had a cappuccino and a pistachio-flavored Pan del pescatore (a dry cake that looks and tastes like a wad of cookie that is made with raisins and other bits of nuts – I had macadamia nuts in the one I ate). I then ventured back out in to rain and took cover when able (at this point, the rainfall had escalated). Eventually, the sun came back out and the rain stopped. I wandered through the streets of Venice some more before finding a restaurant to eat an early dinner (it was only 18:00 and still very bright outside). For dinner, I had a Venetian specialty: Spaghetti al Nero di Seppia (spaghetti with cuttlefish ink and chunks); I also had a liter of draught beer (I am glad that they have the liter option on menus here, but it is a tad expensive at eleven euros – I’m still used to Balkan prices). After dinner, I walked to a nearby market and bought some pistachios, salami, Gouda cheese, and Italian red wine. I then returned to the hotel, dropped my groceries off, paid my bill, and then walked to the railway station to buy my ticket to Florence for the following day (I was advised that I should buy it in advance since it may be fully-booked on a Saturday). I then returned to my hotel room again and went through all the photographs I had taken today. I then drank the Italian red wine, which was made from Negromaro grapes, tannic, and tasted earthy and like nuts, blackberries, and blackcurrants. I then went to sleep shortly after midnight.

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An open journal or an exercise in narcissism.