Italy Part Nine - Venice

Waking up, I'm filled with a sharp pain in my stomach and hurry to the bathroom. Our bathroom at the Antico Doge is quite clean and very tasteful at first glance, however, once I enter the shower, I am smacked with the smell of lightly rotted fish. The shower has a distasteful amount of black mold growing on both the floor and decorative wall tiles, but I give it a pass in my exhaustion. I imagine in a city so well known for it’s waterfront, it must be difficult to avoid fishy smells and water-based mold. That being said, I thought over the course of the day that housekeeping would resolve the issue. A bit of foreshadowing; they did not. In fact, it was twice as bad by the evening, and I could barely use the bathroom without gagging by nightfall.

Today, my back hurts from the stiffness of the bed. As I sit down for a moment to prepare for the day, it becomes even more apparent that this bed has virtually no padding and acts more as a rock slab than a place of rest. I dress myself in black pants, a shirt, and a pink sweatshirt to account for the high of 66 Fahrenheit in the isles. Then I head down to breakfast, which has the smallest spread so far. Though it should also be noted, this is the smallest hotel we have stayed in yet. I grab a few things that will be easy on my stomach, and note the beautiful view from above the city before we head out into the river town.

The unique thing about Venice is that there are no cars, roads, or highways. The entire city is based around a series of isles, and all transportation takes place by boat through various canals throughout the city. There is one large river that is often thought of as a highway, with several smaller branching rivers that lead into various parts of town. During our travels, we witnessed a trash boat pick up the garbage left out with a crane. Then, the bottom of the trash fell out, dumping the garbage into a rectangular opening in the boat, which presumably stored the garbage underneath and out of sight. Once this was completed and the garbage was collected, the crane set the trash bin back onto the ground and moved to the next stop. It was all very fascinating to see the workarounds they had created specifically to live life on the water.

Another interesting thing to note is that of all the cities we had visited thus far, Venice was the most colorful. While the streets by the water are very large, the colorful buildings are very compact. This made the side streets very tight for passage if you needed to walk from one main street to another without taking a gondola. Because of these narrow alleyways, many stair bridges, pedestrian traffic, and a water transport system, there are no bikes allowed in Venice.

Due to the islands of Venice being separated from the mainland, all food must be imported onto the isles. So what does Venice offer in return? The Isles of Venice, more specifically Murano, have become world famous for their expert glassblowing and molding abilities due to the large amount of sand found on the isles. Glassmaking has been recorded in Venice as far back as 982 A.D., however the furnaces used to heat the glass soon became a cause for concern. Most houses in Venice are made of wood due to its easy ability to transport, causing numerous large and uncontrollable fires.

This all changed when Pietro Gradenigo, the Doge of Venice, ordered all glassmaking to be moved to the island of Murano in the 13th century as an attempt to control the fires. However, it is also theorized that the move was intended to isolate the glass workers in an attempt to guard and protect the secrets of their art. The hope is that this would make Murano glass more valuable, and more valuable it became.

While many of the master glassmakers disapproved of the move, being forced to relocate their families from the bustling city to a quiet island, this change did not come without its perks. The status of a master glassmaker became protected and privileged, and a statute of rights and duties was issued in 1441 A.D. This granted the master glassmakers the ability to carry a sword, marry members of nobility, and become immune to prosecution. Many of these benefits were also extended to their family members.

Unfortunately, with these privileges come restrictions. Being a protected category, master glassmakers were forbidden to leave the Republic territory without a permit. Those who did leave without express permission were expelled from the guild for life. If you attempted glasswork elsewhere or attempted to share the Murano glass secrets, glassmakers could find themselves charged and sentenced to death.

During our trip, we traveled through dozens of glass stores, though not all glass was made in Murano. In order to be real Murano glass, it must bear the words “Made in Murano”, otherwise it is certain not to be authentic. That being said, with all the value placed on this glass, it’s no surprise that one simple piece could cost hundreds of dollars! I did purchase some glass, but I will admit it was not authentic Murano because my wallet simply did not have the weight to lose after eight other days in Italy.

The city of Venice is also known for its famous Venetian masks. During the 13th century, Venetians adorned themselves with masks whenever they wanted to escape their restrictive hierarchy. This allowed men and women of any class to mingle and hide their condemned behavior. Some people took part in scandalous acts, and others committed crimes to avoid prosecution. By the 18th century, Venice restricted the right to wear a mask to three months, starting December 26th, and ending on the last day of Venice Carnival, leading up to Lent.

There are roughly seven types of Venetian masks in total, however four specific types stood out to me. The Columbina mask traditionally covers half the face above the nose, and is decorated with jewels, feathers, and designs. The Volto mask, meaning “ghost” mask, is a full-face mask that was always white and decorated with unique designs. These masks now come in a variety of colors, with designs painted on top. The Bauta mask is considered the traditional Venetian mask, worn extensively through the Carnival period. The upper lip of this mask protrudes outward to allow freedom to eat and talk. Some people also wear plague masks, which resemble the masks used by doctors during the black plague, with elongated noses and painted designs. While most masks are papier-mache, I opted to buy a metal wire mask because it looked so unique.

We take a trip down to the Piazza San Marco, where we separate to do some shopping for a time. The Piazza San Marco is the lowest point in Venice, sitting just thirty-five inches above the water. It should come as no shock then that this part of the city is prone to flooding, which is why the square is filled with various drain holes in case of such an event. The Piazza is huge, easily one of the biggest spaces for walking in the city, and connects down to the Piazetta Di San Marco, which leads to the “water highway” where you can rent a taxi boat to take you to other islands in Venice.

We wander the shore for a bit before ducking back into the alleyway streets, stopping at every bridge to search for a gondola. Once we climb aboard the tour, the driver explains that the beauty of gondolas is that they can travel both ways, whereas a boat with a motor can only go forward. Floating through the waterways, we see dead oysters clinging to the walls of the buildings that face the water. Some of the bridges have strange doors on them, and our tour guide advises that these bridges are private, sometimes connecting houses or private buildings.

As we ask about Venice, we wonder about what life here must be like. Our guide explains that it is often very busy with tourists, and that while Venice has many churches, they are not always filled because there are not nearly as many natives to Venice as there are visitors. As we spot archways and dark dead-ends in the walls at water level, we are informed that these holes are garages for the boats when not in use. It’s interesting to see all the ways in which the city functions with boats in place of cars, treating them less like convenient luxuries and more as viable methods for transport.

Once we've taken our gondola ride, we decide it's time to eat. We stop at a bar named Bacaro Jazz that looks like nothing special, with bras hanging from the ceiling signed with various dates and names. My sister and I decided to split the calamari e zucchini, and mushroom Alfredo. To everyone's surprise, the food is absolutely off the charts! Some of the best food we've had thus far, and definitely the best food we've eaten in Venice. The mushroom Alfredo pasta had such a rich flavor throughout the sauce that it left a warm feeling on my palate. Meanwhile, the calamari was crisp and juicy at the same time. I don't like zucchini, but the zucchini and veggies crisps on top of the calamari were to die for.

After a quick rest, we go out to explore a bit more, but all of us are way too full to eat anything else. That being said, we share some delicious “street calamari” served to us in a paper cone, out of curiosity for the concept alone, and it’s absolutely delicious! The idea of fried calamari sold as a street food feels wrong somehow, but the taste is too good to ignore, and we take turns picking lemony pieces from the cone until it's gone. Afterwards, we grab a quick bite of Gelato and call it a night.