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The Romantic City Born of Water – Venice
17 September 2023
travel
matthieu
When we mention Venice, what appears instantly in my mind is that it’s the “romantic capital” situated in the water. It is a famous tourist and industrial city located in the northeast of Italy. Venice is full of charm that make people looking forward to coming here. Venice is a picturesque and ancient city with a rich history. All the scenery here is inseparable from water. There are a total of 177 large and small canals in Venice, which are connected by 401 bridges. The romantic atmosphere of Venice is based on water. The blue boat sways in the river with the microwave and the sunset in the distance is pouring its gentleness. Venice is also a world famous historical and cultural city with profound knowledge in opera, architecture and painting. Let’s discover the greatly romantic city together.
1. Grand Canal Sunset
You can take the water bus to the Grand Canal before the sunset. Water buses aren’t cheap, but the beautiful scenery that is seen is invaluable. You will see the stunning architecture, soft coastal daylight and fascinating Venetian boats. The best place to enjoy the sunset on the Grand Canal is the most beautiful bridge – the Rialto Bridge. On one side of the canal is the traditional Venetian market and on the other side is the street of fashionable brands leading to St. Mark’s Square. The bridge connects the two different business forms of the past and the future – from a local-dominated market to a tourist shopping place.
2. Grand Canal
The Venetian Grand Canal is 4 km long and flows in an inverted S shape through the central area of Venice, which connects with more than 100 waterways. Venice’s Grand Canal is a must-see for tourists, as well as a landmark of Venice. There are many boats on the canal. The architecture on both sides of the river varies in styles with Rococo-style palaces, Moorish houses, palatial Baroque and Gothic-style churches. The Grand Canal is known as the Venice’s water “Champs Élysées”!
3. San Marco Square
San Marco Square is the central square of Venice. It is about 170 meters long, about 80 meters wide on the east side and about 55 meters wide on the west side. The buildings around the square are beautiful buildings of the Renaissance. In Venice, San Marco Square is the only square known as “Piazza”, and the other squares are called “Campi”. San Marco Square is unique among the squares of European cities. It is located in the heart of the city, but it is not as noisy as other squares thanks to the tranquil waterways of Venice. As a landmark of Venice, San Marco Square is particularly popular among tourists, photographers and pigeons. In the 19th century, the French emperor Napoleon once praised it as “the most beautiful drawing room in Europe.”
4. Burano Island
Burano Island also known as the Color Island is about 7 km from Venice. It is famous for its lace textiles and colorful houses on the island. It is regarded as one of the “most colorful places in the world” by many international magazines all over the world. It is a paradise of color and the breeding ground of artists Baldassarre Galuppi and Remigio Barbaro. Here, the traveler can see the reflection of the colored houses in the surrounding river. It is recommended to watch the beautiful sunset on the island at dusk.
Do you know the story behind the colorful houses? The Color island was originally a very normal island. There are no colorful cottages but only the simple fishermen. In the past, the Color Islands were very foggy. The fishermen could not find their own home, so the fishermen and their families painted their own home with oil with different colors in order to find their own home easily.
5. San Marco Cathedral
Located in San Marco Square, it was built in 829 by the Venetian merchants to transport San Marco (the author of the Holy Gospel) back to Venice. The church consists of five huge dome main halls and two cloister-style vestibules, which form a giant Greek cross. The entire church is built in Byzantine style combining the essence of Eastern and Western architecture. The interior is decorated with many Byzantine mosaics. Under the altar of the church is the tomb of San Marco.
6. San Marco Bell Tower
San Marco Bell Tower is located near San Marco Square and in front of San Marco Church, which is one of Venice’s landmarks. San Marco bell tower is 98.6 meters high and is the tallest building in Venice. The structure is simple. The lower part is a huge columnar building made of bricks that each side is 12 meters long and 50 meters high. The upper part is an arched bell tower where 5 bells are placed. The upper part of the arched bell tower is a square building. San Marco Bell Tower was a watchtower built in the 9th century, which was later converted into a bell tower.
7. Palace of the Dukes of Venice
The Ducal Palace, also known as the Venetian Governor’s Office, was built in 814. It is a Byzantine building. The Governor’s Office used to be a government office and court. It was also the residence of the Governor of Venice. The south side of the Governor’s Palace is the Venetian Lagoon, to the west is San Marco Square, and to the north is San Marco Church. The current building was mainly built between 1309 and 1424. In 1574, the Governor’s Palace suffered a fire and was seriously damaged. The current building is a Gothic building built in the 15th century. There is a “giant ladder” built in the early 16th century in the courtyard. There are huge sculptures of the war god and the sea god at the top of 30-level marble steps.
8. Rialto Bridge
Among more than 400 bridges in Venice, the most famous is the Rialto Bridge also known as the commercial bridge that is all made of white marble and is a symbol of Venice. The bridge is 48 meters long and 22 meters wide and 7 meters high from the water surface. The two ends of the bridge are supported by 12,000 wooden stakes inserted into the water. There is an archway in the middle of the bridge that spans the Grand Canal. The Rialto Bridge was built in 1180 and was originally a wooden bridge, which was later changed to a suspension bridge. The bridge was broken due to too many people in a celebration in 1444. It was converted into the current stone bridge between 1580 and 1592. There is a floating pavilion at the top of the bridge. The story of Shakespeare’s famous drama “Venice Merchant” took place here.
9. San Giorgio Maggiore Church
The Church of San Giorgio Maggiore is located on the island of San Giorgio Maggiore, designed by the famous Italian Renaissance architect André Palladio. You can clearly see the panoramic view of the San Giorgio Maggiore Church from San Marco Square. The architectural style of Palladio is the most distinctive and innovative classicist style during the Renaissance. This church is a concentrated expression of the architectural style of Palladio and one of his best works. It reflects both the solemnity of classicism and the simplicity and elegance of the Renaissance by the external facade and the internal structure.
10. Lido Island
Lido Island is Venice’s largest outer island where a lot of stars gather at the end of August and the beginning of September because the annual Venice Film Festival is held here. Lido Island is the back garden of Venice that is a relaxing place for holiday with luxurious private villas and marinas and the most beautiful beaches in Venice.
If you are interested in this romantic city, please don’t hesitate to go there for better discovering. And what’s important is that you need a pocket wifi for looking for the roads, sharing your photos and feelings with your friends!
