At the Rialto bridge
Venice is a city of superlatives. No metal roads for cars, waterways and canals and many districts. Coupled with architecture from the middle ages, gondolas, ferries, and water taxis for transport and you have a one of a kind city. I had visited Venice twice before, once in my childhood and once upon graduation from University (thanks to a generous 'holiday gift' from my parents who wanted me to have a cosmopolitan view of life) and most recently.
I can say that, with each visit, my perception of the host country, Italy, changes. For the better actually. On the 5th December chilly morning, we took the TrenItalia cross country high speed train from Milan Centrale to Venice Santa Lucia station (which is on the 'island' itself). When we landed at the station, we (I in particular) was befuddled at the numerous signs and means to get to our hotel, which was located in the southern portion of the 4 major islands.
Some bag porters came up to us and to my surprise, they turned out to be Malaysian Indians who had come to Italy for a better future and wound up living in Venice the last 10 years ! So, we negotiated a EUR 25 bag charge and they hauled the 2 big and 2 mid sized bags all the way to our hotel up and down the numerous bridges and winding walkways. I would say that this experience is a one of a kind in Italy, let alone the world.
Soon enough, we made it to the hotel and after a quick checkin, we started to explore the city. I did my homework booking 2 tours, one for the Duomo Saint Marco (St Mark's cathedral) and another for the Doge's palace (the President or the top official). A third tour which we booked when we came was the Murano (glass making factory), Burano (scenic village with lovely waterway views) and Toricello (a church stands there).
Duomo Saint Marco is declared as a world Heritage Site, so its a must visit for any first time visitor. St Mark, the apostle (not the disciple) of Christ who was responsible for bringing Christianity from the Palestine region to Europe (first Roman emperor to convert to Christianity was the Emperor Constantine) and most importantly Africa (Egypt in particular) where he and his followers was credited for founding the Coptic Christian church.
Some bag porters came up to us and to my surprise, they turned out to be Malaysian Indians who had come to Italy for a better future and wound up living in Venice the last 10 years ! So, we negotiated a EUR 25 bag charge and they hauled the 2 big and 2 mid sized bags all the way to our hotel up and down the numerous bridges and winding walkways. I would say that this experience is a one of a kind in Italy, let alone the world.
Soon enough, we made it to the hotel and after a quick checkin, we started to explore the city. I did my homework booking 2 tours, one for the Duomo Saint Marco (St Mark's cathedral) and another for the Doge's palace (the President or the top official). A third tour which we booked when we came was the Murano (glass making factory), Burano (scenic village with lovely waterway views) and Toricello (a church stands there).
Duomo Saint Marco is declared as a world Heritage Site, so its a must visit for any first time visitor. St Mark, the apostle (not the disciple) of Christ who was responsible for bringing Christianity from the Palestine region to Europe (first Roman emperor to convert to Christianity was the Emperor Constantine) and most importantly Africa (Egypt in particular) where he and his followers was credited for founding the Coptic Christian church.
Duomo Saint Marco in the Piazza Saint Marco.
The architecture of the church is influenced by the then global superpowers, Greece, Roman and possibly Egypt. Built from the 1st to the 10th century, it is magnificent both inside and outside. The square is massive and we were fortunate to visit during the down season of winter where the hordes of tourists dwindles down to a trickle. Venice was one of the 4 city states or autonomous cities in the Roman empire electing their own Doge and the other 4 being Florence, Pisa and Milan (if my history serves me correctly).
Marco Polo was a Venetian and my home country of Singapore takes a leaf out of the many good aspects of a well run city state which Venice left behind, entrepot trade, seaport, conscription for a strong military, strong financial institutions and rule of law.
One of the many high end boutique shops dotting the small vias (streets)
We had an excellent dining at the Bistro de Venise, which is one of the Michelin up and coming restaurants for 2017. More of that food blog later.
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