Day 19 - Venezia!

Before going to bed last night, I offered the boys an invitation to join me for a morning walk. Venice is wonderful in the mornings: the cruise ship tourists have long sailed away with the next batch yet to arrive; the daytrippers won't arrive until around 9 am; and most of the tourists sleeping in Venice overnight are still abed. The city is quiet, clean and empty. A great opportunity for photos. I arranged for anyone interested to meet me in the hotel foyer at 7 am - of the students, only two were there.

We walked to Piazza San Marco and realised only then how excellent the location of our hotel is. The walk took us all of two minutes. We wandered the empty piazza, had an uninterrupted look at the Basilica of San Marco and spent some time at the lagoon and the Bridge of Sighs. Those who were there took some excellent photographs.

Only two students took up the offer of an early morning visit to St Mark's Square

The Bridge of Sighs, uninterrupted by tourists. Well, by other tourists

Early morning walks allow for arty photos. iPhone filters do wonders.

Arty photo. See above.

Breakfast at the hotel was generous and tasty. We had a full itinerary today and we wanted an early start, so were were in the Piazza by 8.15. We started by talking about the history of Venice: its origins as a sanctuary away from the barbarian hoards tearing their way through Italy on their way to the sacking of Rome; its subsequent development into a permanent settlement, and then an economic and naval power of the middle ages before it reached its pinnacle as a sea and land empire; and, of course, its eventual decline and, for the first time in its 1000 year history, its defeat by Napoleon in 1799.

We took in the motley mix of cultures and styles evident in the Piazza and its buildings, marvelling at the arrogance and ingenuity of the Venetians in 'acquiring' treasures and absorbing them into their own culture. In one place, often in one building, was the arabesque, the Byzantine, the classical, the Gothic and the Renaissance.

The boys, with the Basilica of San Marco in the background

We studied the mosaics on the outside of the Basilica of San Marco before making our way into the Doge's Palace, seat of Venetian power when it was an unassailable sea power and home to the Doge of Venice.

The Doge was the ruler of Venice, elected for life from among the elite families of Venice. The character of the Doge could have enormous impacts on Venetian life, sometimes committing the state to war, at other times ushering in eras of prosperity.

The intimidating Scala dei Giganti (the Giants' Staircase), the original entry to the Doge's Palace

We entered the Doge's Palace as a visitor back then would have, starting at the Scala dei Giganti, a staircase watched over by giant statues of Neptune and Mercury, gods of the sea and commerce respectively, then entering the palace itself and confronted with the opulence and self-promotion of this old empire. Incredible art work from Venetian painters such as Tintoretto, Carpaccio and Veronese adorn the walls of every one of the government chambers.

As beautiful and prosperous as Venice was, it was still run by an empire that had no wish to lose power. One of the ways it maintained its power was through a brutal and efficient secret police. The use of secret letter boxes such as these where citizens could anonymously report enemies of the state was one way it held its grip.

We then moved to the courts where Venetian justice was coldly dispensed, and, where once found guilty, offenders were taken to the dungeons. Often mistaken as a place of romance, the Bridge of Sighs was not a bridge that inspired the sighs of lovers; it was the pathway from the palace to the dungeons, and it was the last view of the lagoon Venetian prisoners had before entering those dungeons, hence the sighs. We crossed the Bridge of Sighs into the dungeons.

One last look at the beauty of Venice ('sigh') before crossing to the dungeons.

Dark, damp and claustrophobic, the dungeons were a frightening and intimidating place. Some parts were actually located below ground level, at times we could almost feel the weight of the stone and marble above us, and that of the centuries, and it was a relief to be out of them.

Following this tour we started what would become a top to bottom walking tour of Venice. We walked to the church of St Rocco, a grand church with an even grander confraternity building attached to it, but for once we weren't there for paintings or statues or anything like that. We were there for pizza. And gelati. The Gelateria Millefoglie da Tarcisio is just outside the fence of San Rocco, an unassuming hole-in-the wall pizza and gelati joint that sells some of the best pizza and gelati in Venice at an affordable price, with its fondant gelato recently winning an international award. The owner always gives us a good deal and today was no different - the boys enjoyed a huge slice of pizza, drink and gelato.

Pizza. Mmm.

Gelato. Mmm.

Refuelled, we continued our walking tour of Venice, crossing the Rialto Bridge and coming to the station.

Crossing the Rialto Bridge

We walked then to the Church of Santa Lucia that gives the district, and the train station, its name. Dedicated to the early Christian martyr St Lucy, the Church of Santa Lucia contains the embalmed corpse of the saint. It was a confronting thing for a lot of us there to see the desiccated hands and feet of this saint so easily displayed.

The next two hours were spent shopping. The boys, armed with Italian mobile phones and tickets for the vaporetto, made their way back to the hotel.

Winson curls a protective arm around Mrs Bamford while shopping

That afternoon, it was gondola time!

Some gondolas

One of the most romantic things one can do in Venice, a gondola loses quite a bit of its romance when it has five teenage boys in it. Nonetheless it is still an essential Venetian experience, one that opens up the hidden canals of Venice, exposing its charm and places of solitude. The experience lasted for around forty minutes, the traditional gondoliers expertly navigating the narrowest of canals using everything from their oars to their feet to get us around the tightest corners.



They didn't serenade us though; disappointing.

The gondolas took us through the Grand Canal within sight of the Rialto Bridge and back into the twisting maze of narrow canals before depositing us where we first boarded. What an unforgettable experience.



The belltower of St Mark's, the Campanile di San Marco was the next part of Venice to be conquered by the boys of St Joseph's. They prepared themselves for an arduous climb, lined up with the other tourists and found... an elevator. Bonus.

Venice was laid out like a blanket. Every aspect of the city was visible, with the lagoon and San Marco on show in a spectacular fashion. Here was one of the great empires of the Renaissance period, and one of the most intriguing cities in the world today, and they were looking over it.

Amazing stuff.

View from the top: The old entry to Venice: across the lagoon and into St Mark's

View from the top: The clocktower crowded.

We went then to another tower, well, house really, but it looks like a tower due to its unique staircase. The Palazzo Contarini del Bovolo is not well known, and it is really hard to find as one has to go down a street about as wide as two people, but it is a fascinating testament to the grandeur and ostentation of Venice. Built by a member of the pre-eminent Contarini family, the family that gave Venice eight of its ruling doges, this house has a staircase that the owner used to use to ride his horse up. Preferring not to use the stairs, this noble Venetian would ride his horse up to the top story where a stable hand would take it from him; when he needed to leave, he would find the stable hand had brought the horse to him. Of course, the stable hand walked up and down the stairs.

Laziness. Um, the thought behind the staircase, not the kids.

After a rest in the hotel, we went to dinner. Breaking a long tradition of the trip, we went to the same restaurant twice. So nice was the meal from the night before, the boys were keen to try different dishes. Kiro did not disappoint. Our bellies full, we returned to the hotel and to bed.