9 Things To Love About Venice

Venice devotees are a dime a dozen, but what is it about the city that causes some to go so far as to brand ourselves “Venetophiles?” What stardust did the city sprinkle on us (or was it pigeon droppings?) that made it seal itself into our hearts forever?  Despite the growing proliferation of other places I’ve visited, I have never experienced what I feel in Venice in any other city, which has caused me to return again and again, always reveling anew in it’s mystery.  It may be impossible to put my finger on the exact reasons, but here are a few of the things about this little waterlogged paradise that, at least in my mind’s eye, have separated it from the rest of the great wide world and given it a special place in this humble Venetophile’s heart.

1.   No vehicles.  This may seem obvious – the lack of cars and motorcycles is one of the first things you think of when you picture Venice.  It’s heavenly not to have wheeled traffic, angry motorists weaving between lanes, honking horns, careless cyclists and stoplights.  But what is truly remarkable about the lack of automobiles is the magnification of all other sounds.  Ambient traffic noise is gone, and in it’s place you will hear the gentle clinking of wine glasses at restaurants, a dog’s paws skittering over the uneven cobblestones, sellers at the marketplace laughing with their customers, the lapping of the water against the side of a building, the swish of an oar in a canal, the insistent peal of church bells.  It is a world of harmonics you will never find anywhere else on the globe, and it will enchant your senses beyond imagination.

2.  The light.  It’s no wonder works by native Venetian painters like Tintoretto, Titian and Veronese boast such bold color.  The striking hues created by light reflecting off the water that weaves around and throughout the city blessed these artists with a particularly vivid palette.  Today it’s still easy to see why they were inspired by La Serenissima’s brilliance – from the deep cerulean of the sea to the resplendent orange glow of a sunset, it is truly a visual feast.

3.   The singing.  Gondolas floating by with a striped-shirted oarsmen at the helm and a baritone-voiced accordionist at the bow is a clichéd vision, though I suppose any Italian crooning “C’é La Luna, Mezzo Mare” - even if you’re at a pizza parlor in Long Island – is a bit hackneyed.  But walking past the Rialto and hearing the strains of “That’s Amore” lazily floating up from the water would give even the staunchest among us chills.  Even a cliché can melt your heart.  

4.   It’s ephemeral nature.  Sad to think, but the fact that Venice may not be around someday, even for our great-grandchildren to see, makes it alluring, mysterious and vital.  To think about one day telling children tales of a city built on water has a morbid magic charm..not to mention that it will score Grandma big points on the “Cool Stories” scale.  Despite the valiant efforts of so many to save Venice from sinking, the fact that this paradise may one day be beneath the ocean is enough to warrant plenty of awe and respect.

5.   It’s a hodgepodge.  Architecture, food, crafts – everything in Venice is a patchwork quilt – a mecca of varied styles and textures all crowded together like an abstract puzzle.  Combining the influences of the Moors and the Byzantines, the Gothic and the Renaissance, the land and the sea, from glass to lace to paper goods, it is almost sensory overload just to walk down a busy calle.  And you never tire of it.

6.   The hardiness of it’s citizens.  Nowhere have I seen 80-year old women, hunched and wrinkled, continue to walk up the stairs to their apartments, over endless footbridges with decrepit tricky stairs and through piazzas peppered with crumbling flagstones that trip up even the young and spry.  Native Venetians are a wonder for their spirit, their fierce loyalty to the city and most especially their physical finesse. 

7.   Secret pathways.  Anyone who loves a good mystery can appreciate the profusion of winding streets, hidden canals, ancient bridges and piazzas with 6 exit directions to choose from.  You never know where you’re going to end up, you never know exactly where you’re going to begin with, and you’ll no doubt find yourself ending up exactly where you started, having gone around in one big circle because everything started to look the same.  It can be a frustrating labryinth, but once you find a shortcut of your own (and actually remember it), there’s nothing sweeter.

8.   Simple signage.  Where I come from, a GPS, Mapquest directions, a Thomas Guide and ample freeway signs placed up to no less than a mile in advance are vital to directional survival…really, to finding anything.  In Venice, you’re lucky even to find a street sign, and you’ll NEVER be able to understand the numbering, because it’s not in order.  Ever.  But the great thing is – you don’t need to.  Sprinkled throughout the city you’ll find 2 signs: “Per San Marco” (St. Mark’s Square), and “Rialto” (Rialto Bridge).  Both main areas are all you’ll need to orient yourself again…just keep following the signs – you’ll get there one way or another.  

9.   Dialect.  Even if you speak Italian, Venetian is a totally different animal.  It has charmingly retained the singsong-y beauty of it’s root language, but with mysterious inflections and seemingly random jargon tossed in for good measure, almost reminiscent of the many faraway cultures who have taken part in the history of the city.  The best is the way they make use of the grievously underused letter “x,” inserting it into words and making them as bewitching and esoteric as the city itself.

All photos taken by CGTravels between 2006-2008.

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