The Gritti Palace has a lovely outdoor eating area on the canal. What a wonderful way to begin our day. What I hadn’t realized was that there was one activity planned for this morning, a visit to the Vecchio Murano Glass Factory.
Most of our group went to visit the glass factory. It began with a glass blowing demonstration where a bowl and a animal were created in a matter of minutes. We were then taken to a room where they described how some of the pieces are made. Frankly it was more of a sales presentation, but it was interesting and some of the pieces were outstanding. We were then free to wander about the store, which consisted of several floors filled with beauteous vases, pitchers, chandeliers, animals, bowls, jewelry, etc. If you could make it out of glass, you would find it here. I ended up purchasing a necklace and a small paperweight. I restrained myself from purchasing too much. The last thing we need are more tchotchkes. Ah! That’s a thought that demonstrates that I”m transitioning away from Italy and toward home.
We dropped off our purchases in our room and headed back toward St. Mark’s Square and the Doge’s Palace. We had tickets at 11:30 AM for the Itinerari Segreti (the Secret Itineraries) tour, but had a little time to kill. You can’t but notice two stone columns that flank the entrance to St. Mark’s Square from the Grand Canal. They were erected in the mid-13th century. Gambling was allowed between them and public executions as well. One features a winged lion, the symbol of St. Mark and the other holds a statue of St. Theodore standing over a dead crocodile. He was Venice’s patron saint until he was replaced by St. Mark. What most people don’t know is that there were supposed to be three columns. A ship carrying one of them sunk, and given that the lagoon’s floor is thick with clay, it is most likely never going to be found.
Now is an appropriate time to explain a little about how Venice was built. Why people would choose to live on wet, mud flats I don’t know, but I suppose it was desperation. They took tree trunks and pounded them into the ground until they were stuck solidly into the clay and used them as the foundation for their buildings. There is a forest of trees under Venice and over time they have become petrified.
Unfortunately flooding is getting worse due in part to the notorious acqua alta, which is when a high tide combines with strong sirocco winds and storms. Plus sea levels are increasing due to global warming. Both are making Venice more vulnerable to flooding. Venetians have constructed underwater gates on the sea floor at the three inlets where the sea enters the lagoon. When the sea water reaches a certain level they rise up and shut out the Adriatic. It has worked once, but many question how long they will be able to keep the sea out.
We are finally getting the hang of finding the correct line to stand in. Right on time Eileen and Jim join us for the tour. The Doge’s Palace was the seat of the Venetian government and home of its ruling duke or doge. The palace was built to show off the power of the republic and is resplendent in gold leaf, paintings, and glitz. Hiding behind the halls of power, was a prison that at one time held Casanova along with many others. He was not only a great seducer of women, but he was the only person who managed to escape from the prison. That was where our tour primarily took place. Frankly it wasn’t as interesting as I had hoped, but it is crazy to think about the juxtaposition of incredible wealth in contrast to cold, stone jail cells. In addition, the administrative offices for those running Venice were directly next to the prison and were devoid of any decoration, including the Doge’s office. The intention was for the doge himself to remain humble.
The guide led is through a “secret” door that took us into the opulent part of the palace. The door was part of a cabinet that appeared to be a permanent piece of furniture in the room. After the tour ended, the four of us wandered from room to room. Each room was larger and glitzier than the last. After a while it became too much. I think all of us felt the urge to escape at about the same time. I didn’t want to spend my last day in Venice staring at glitz.
On our escape route out of the palace we came upon a special exhibit of modern art by German painter/sculptor Anselm Kiefer. He was invited to present a site-specific installation of paintings as part of the 59th Venice Biennale. He combines philosophical thought and literary references in his art and confronts Germany’s dark past, i.e. the Holocaust. The Biennale is a large scale exhibition of contemporary art held every two years in Venice. It has been held since 1895. The commingling of new and old art created a unique space.
Upon our escape from the Doge’s Palace we stood in a surprisingly short line to go to the top of the Campanile Bell Tower by elevator. Thank goodness no steps this time. We had wonderful panoramic views of Venice from up there. We also had a deafening surprise when at 2:00 PM the bells began to ring. We were in a bell tower next to the bells after all. The campanile was completed in 1514 when the belfry and spire were completely rebuilt. It was originally intended as a watchtower, but eventually the bells served to regulate the civic and religious life of Venice marking the time of day, convocation of government assemblies, and public executions.
There was only so much one could do in a day, but Dan and I really wanted to see the famous Rialto Bridge. Made of stone and crossing the Grand Canal, it is one of the world’s most famous bridges. It was filled with shops and tourists. After a quick visit we headed away from the congestion. On our way back toward our hotel, we stopped for a last Aperol Spritz, and gelato.
Twelve of us had made reservations for a gondola ride. As it turns out there are gondolas located all over the place, but these were located right in front of our hotel. All of us set out in three gondolas for a brief (and expensive) ride that basically took us around the block. We got a little more time onboard than expected because all of the gondolas around us had to sit and wait for a larger boat to pass. It looked like a gondola traffic jam.
We ended our day in Venice with a safe exit from our gondola and a lovely farewell dinner at the hotel. I thought they were going to take a group photo like they always did when my parent’s took Tauck tours. Unfortunately they no longer do that, so I don’t have a photo of our group. By the end of our travels we got to know almost everyone. They were a lovely group of people and what a absolutely wonderful trip we had. Except for Dan’s cough it was a perfect journey. However, Dan and I are ready to head home.
P.S. I forgot about the COVID test we had to take before dinner. In order to get back home, we had to test negative for COVID within 24 hours of our departure. Fortunately, all of were allowed to go home. Could you imagine having to quarantine in the Hotel Gritti for five days?
BY THE WAY WITH WENDY & DAN 