Venice - Part 2 (Rialto Market Area)

Stepping out of St Mark's Square and into the Napoloenic Wing I headed into the unknown through an archway that led me to Calla Larga, which included exclusive shops such as Louis Vuitton. With only my backpack and a map of Venice for company I was about to begin an exploration of this unique City, as a sense of excitement gripped me as to what lay ahead. I was confronted by a maze of narrow streets with tall buildings, which looked like they probably did 50 years ago, retaining character during the passage of time. Many had those old wooden velour shutters, which were all closed, probably to keep the heat at bay. Then again, the residents of Venice mustn't be short of a bob or two, so I reckon Air-Con must come as standard. These three and four storey buildings looked rather run down from the outside but I dare say the interiors are a very different matter. As I stop for a minute to find my bearings, courtesy of my map, I find myself stood outside a pizzeria-stroke-cafe. The smell was something else. What is it about freshly baked bread? I gazed into the window to see an array of pizza, wraps, sandwiches, rolls and cakes. To be honest, I didn't have a clue what was in most of the sandwiches as they were individually labelled in Italian. All I could understand was the prices, and they weren't cheap. I was in there like a dog after a bone, buying a small rolled pizza that looked the best of the bunch. I waited a short while until it was lightly crisped off in a toasting machine before it was handed over in exchange for 5 Euro's. Add to that a 500ml can of coke and I was more than happy, toddling out of the shop with a look of satisfaction on my face. I was now back into the soaring heat as I parked my arse on a nearby bench overlooking Rio Del Veste. Time for lunch.

Feeling a tad more than content after my 15 minute pit-stop I was on my feet again as my map began to draw me towards the famous Rialto Bridge over the Grand Canal. As the early afternoon heat started to get the better of me, I remember taking the odd wrong turn or two before getting back on track and heading through Calla Del Fuseri, which took me in a straight line towards Palace Loredan and eventually to the edge of the Grand Canal. The area was very busy - top heavy tourist numbers in every direction, and that included the canal itself! As well as Gondola's, the canal in front of me was a highway for motor boats carrying food supplies and drinks to the many homes and restaurants on the Venice waterways. The Rialto Bridge (Second shot) was the focal point of interest and not only was it a photogenic subect as the gondola's passed under its arch, but the view from the bridge itself was equally as attractive as I looked back along the Grand Canal. Almost everyone around me were using camera's, and why not, views like this don't come along every day! I'd safely say, with hindsight, that this was my favourite viewpoint in the whole city - an ideal position to capture a bit of everything that Venice had to offer.

More sightseeing followed, as I wandered through more narrow streets that ran parallel with the Grand Canal, heading upstream towards the Pescheria (Fish Market), on the San Polo side of the canal. It certainly wasn't my map that guided me to this point on my journey, but the strong smell of raw fish that filled the air. Intrigue got the better of me so I entered the Fish Market to see exactly what had been landed. I somehow assumed that the catch would have naturally been pulled from the Med, so I was more than surprised when I read the origin of Gamberoni (Jumbo Prawns) and Red Snapper was Argentina. The prawns were like nothing I'd seen before - 'Jumbo' is a modest way of describing them! Money was exchanging hands at a sharp rate as the place was packed with customers looking for a good deal. Best sellers appeared to be Tuna Steaks, Shark, Lobster and Sea Bass, as well as Gamberoni. Brought to the market by boat, the seafood left the premises in Venetian carrier bags, by the dozen. As I passed the last stall on my left an apron clad fisherman was gutting a huge fish on a slab - it's head bared a striking resemblance to John Prescott in more ways than one, just before the knife came down, detaching it from its body. Within a few seconds I was out of the building and enjoying some much needed fresh air. I stood near the jetty where the fish was delivered to the market, looking up the Grand Canal, which is where I captured my third shot (shown here). Gondola's was passing regularly, as well as the usual
motor boats that service the City's businesses and homes. Straddling this section of the Canal were the many buildings, side by side, including Palace Brandolin, Palace Broldu and
Ca' Da Mosto. This was to be the most northern point of Venice that I visited before heading west across San Polo, to my evental destination Punta Delia Dogana, the southern gateway to the Grand Canal.

More of this next time, including some photo's of a Venetian wedding that I stumbled across. Until then, thanks once again for visiting.
Ash

Venice, Italy - Part 1 (San Marco)

Venice - without doubt the most photogenic City I have ever visited. I could be excused for saying Venice is a photographers paradise, and if you're a photography buff yourself then you'll know what I'm getting at if you ever have the pleasure of visiting. I made two trips to Venice within the space of three days - the weather was overcast on the first visit and sunny/cloudy on the second. Weather aside, I intended to make the most of my time here, especially as it may have been my first, second and last visit to this unique place. Water-girt Venice rises on an archipelago of small islands separated by a dense network of waterways, which were rectified down the years, noticably changing the original conformation. Venice lies four kilometers from the mainland and two from the open sea. The longest of the canals, and the widest, is the Grand Canal which divides the city into two main parts that are connected by three bridges - the Bridge of the Scalzi, the Bridge of Rialto and also the Academia. Forty-Five internal canals run into the Grand Canal, which can all be navigated with small boats or gondolas. As many as 350 bridges connect the various zones of the city. Piazza San Marco is a gem among gems in the the field of Italian architecture. This large open space has the Basilica of San Marco, the Palace of Doges and the Logetta (clock tower) on each side. It was here that I made my way into Venice from the boating station after docking a few minutes earlier. The boat trip across from Punta Sabbioni lasted approximately 25 minutes and cost 9 Euro's for a return ticket. The place was crammed with tourists like myself, eager to see what Venice had to offer. The Clock Tower in Piazza San Marco was built between 1496 and 1499 and is undoubtedly one of the most photographed monuments in Venice, mainly because of the two moors that strike the bell at the top of the tower every hour. The Campanile of San Marco is dominated by the lofty bell tower that reaches 100 meters high. Queue's for the tower stretched from its entrance across the way towards the Basilica but I didn't fancy waiting in that lot, opting to explore the more photogenic areas of Veneto instead. Mind you, the view from the top would have been well worth the wait in the queue.

From the Piazzetta I took a swift left turn past the Campanile and into St Mark's Square. Either side of the square is decked with tables and chairs - sit on a chair at your peril! How about 20 Euro's for two cups of coffee - not likely. If you've got money to burn then dive in, but surely no cup of coffee in the world is worth that kind of outlay. Then again, you're paying for the location, a prime spot in the heart of Venice, and that obviously comes at a price. A small orchestra played for the paying customers as they sat watching the world go by. Waiters in white dinner jackets and dicky-bows tended to the customers, lending a rather finishing touch to the art of exclusivety in St Mark's Square. It was interesting to see just how many people were sitting in the restaurant seats - they must have mare money than sense! There was an abundance of Japanese and American tourists among the crowds in St Mark's - many of them formed part of a group that were being guided around the area, enjoying an informal and factual account of ancient Venice up to the present day. I noticed a flyer on the boat across to Venice that advertised a forthcoming open air concert in the square by Sting, former frontman of pop group The Police. The show was billed as Symphonicity, and what a place to play live in on a potentially warm Summer's night. I wonder how much those tickets were going for?

From the Square I headed through the Napoleonic wing, a long walk where exclusive (and very expensive) shops lined the route on one side, with columns along the other that led back into the Square. The first part of Venice had been seen and what an eye-opener it was - a kind of 'How the other half live'. From the Napoleonic Wing I walked through an arch and into Calle Larga, a typical narrow street with high buildings that had plenty of character. At this point the exploration of Venice really started to kick in and I had the feeling I was going to do some serious damage with my camera. It was now time to invite my 10-22mm wide to the party...

To be continued.

Ash