Day 9 8th Dec 2023 Piazza Saint Marco and the Basillica Post 2

 

The raised wooden walkways are up, so bad is the almost annual flooding of the square

In the afternoon of the 9th after another amazing lunch, we went to Saint Mark's Square which was just around the corner from the hotel. We could see that the raised flooring was all in place in anticipation of the night's rain. Venice is in serious danger of going underwater in the next 50 years, and the Government has put into place many engineering solutions like massive bollards filled with air to stop the eventual flooding into the many small islands which make up the region Venice.

Venice Map 

Just outside the area, there are plans by the Italian Government to put up massive bollards which will be raised to block the rising flow of water into the precint. 

We booked the St Mark's pass which gave us entry into the Doge's Palace as well as the 2 museums around the Piazza. I must warn that the Piazza is full of undesirable touts and con-men so it is best to watch your phone, wallet, backpacks and passports. In the next few days I myself became a victim of a snatch thief in the train back from Venice. 

The Doge's (or big chief) palace was really grand, the archway staircase with the golden roof was amazing. It goes to reinforce the view that the city state of Venice once long time ago (say 300 - 400 years) was a mighty force and Singapore's school books are all following the merits and management of the Venetians today.

The dome inside the Duomo St Marco 

I can say this for Venice, it has a magnificent history of trade and was a city of light and charm. Singapore on the other hand, well we are a 58 going on 59 year miracle. Will we rise above the geopolitical maneuvering of the region and still be as strong and as wealthy over the next 58 or 59 years ?

With the winged lion, the Symbol of the Venetian empire

Venice is sinking, that and the fact that Italy is swamped with the influx of foreigners coming from Africa, Eastern Europe and Asia makes visiting places where plenty of tourists flock to, dangerous. I have been to Venice a total of 3 times in my life and each visit is I experience a paradigm shift in what I perceive it to be. 

To rest on the former glories and depending only on tourism is not a good solution for economic uplift, but the state of many European countries is such that unless the young can study the right subjects like Cybersecurity and or Creative Digital Marketing for example, the rank and file jobs will ultimately be taken over by AI. This is the same state of play as in Singapore, by and large. 

Of course, if you are good at cooking and other social skills, there are myriads of jobs in the local domestic economy. However, there is the influx of cheap foreign labour from mainly Bangladesh and Sri Lanka who fill up the void for the work that is inexpensive, hard and takes long hours.  Taxes and GST are very high, so that in itself is also another point people have to take into consideration. There is no escaping from earning a decent day's work. 

In the evening, my wife found us a great little restaurant called Ristorante la Piazza and we had a lovely lobster Taglatelle and Fried Sea Bass with vegetables to share.

Flooded Saint Mark's Square Dec 10th morning

Impressive golden archway and ceiling in the Doge's Palace 

The magnificent archway and staircase entrance of the Doge's palace which leads to the main Meeting Hall with yet even more majestic frescos and statues. All reminiscent of a long forgotten and glorious past.