Living in England I've got quite used to finding history around
the corner - but Italy does it better! A city frozen in time (Pompeii
and that little incident with a volcano), a city sinking beneath
the waters (Venice), towers with no inclination to be straight (Pisa).
Pretty girls, pretty forward men, and pretty dramatic language.
Elegance . . . and ice creams. The Arts. Architecture. Superb relics
from the past - yes they get tourists of all ages here! Where else
could I be thinking of but Italy?
 Whatever
you do, make sure that you wander down some of smaller streets
in Venice and experience some of the smaller canals and their
tiny bridges |
This and following pages in this segment cover Venice, Rome and
the Tivoli Gardens, Pompeii, Sorrento, Capri and the Amalfi Drive.
Venice
My
memories of Venice are dreamlike - as is the place. Everything is
different in Venice. After arrival at the airport and being carried
across to the terminal building in a stand-up bus about as wide
as a building, and after passing through the control points, a short
walk takes you to where you get your boat linking with St. Mark's
Square. This is quite a long water trip, an eye-opener in itself
between many islands, and gradually your impression of Venice as
the floating city builds up. Looking across the very wide Grande
Canal from St. Mark's Square, it is as if the far buildings really
are floating on the shimmering water - especially at night.
St. Mark's Square is sometimes known as "the most beautiful
drawing room in Europe", and here you can sit and slowly
drink some of the most expensive cups of coffee in Europe, while
listening to sedate music. Or you can buy a snack from one of many
nearby cafés and enjoy the architecture for free. I'm not
in the guide-book business, so I won't attempt to tell you why you
should go into the cathedral or visit the Doge's Palace, or the
like. Instead I want to do the usual - give you an 'impression'.
The
square - really an 'L'-shaped area - gets flooded quite frequently,
and there are permanent wooden walkways at hand to get round this
problem. As soon as you stray away from this central location, one
of the few large open spaces, you are into a warren of streets/alleyways,
a virtual maze intersected by frequent narrow canals, some alleys
with bridges across the canals and some without. I got a map, quick-sharp,
but even with this, navigation was not easy - unless you're good
at mazes. Although I'm usually quite good at navigation, I must
admit that I met my match in Venice!
By
the way, use the water buses for cheap transport - or the gondolas
- if you're really sure you're not a cheapskate! (This will test
it out!) A trip down the Grande Canal from St. Mark's Square to
the Rialto Bridge is something not to be missed. Here is where to
find the heart of the shopping district and the noisy market. In
the fish market you may well discover sea creatures that you've
never encountered before - and possibly will never want to encounter
again!
Whatever
you do, make sure that you wander down some of smaller streets in
Venice and experience some of the smaller canals and their tiny
bridges. Walking these streets is truly walking a maze. Such streets
give you a more accurate impression of what the city is really like,
and you will not fail to be impressed/depressed about the state
of disrepair to be found in some areas. With luck you might see
some maintenance going on - from boats! Then consider the difficulty
in doing any job when a building is standing in water, and remember
the water is ever rising - actually the buildings are ever sinking
(possibly both with global warming taken into consideration)
- and you can see why some owners don't always care too much!
Sunset
across the Grande Canal was a memorable sight - especially as the
sun sank behind a gleaming dome. But the return trip across the
water to the airport in the dark was just a little hair-raising!
There are all these substantial looking poles sticking up out of
the water, you see. Channel markers, I guess. But they had no lights
on them, and even our speeding vessel didn't seem to have any lights.
Maybe I was wrong - I do hope I was wrong - but it all
seemed a bit 'hit and miss' - if you know what I mean!
One impression I came away with was that I felt quite a lot safer
in Venice than I do in most other European cities or towns. Even
at night. There were no louts, no intimidating gangs. All the Italians
dressed in style, even the young set, and it was a privilege to
walk amongst them in such a beautiful place. (Anyone scruffy was
a tourist.) Such a pity it is all 'sinking'. And such a pity it
can all get 'stinking' if you go when it's hot! But whenever, whatever,
I can recommend Venice. Personally I found it to be the most memorable
city I have ever visited. Do try to get a reasonable time there.
Such a pity that so many tours only give you half a day! And if
you do only get allocated part of a day, do be careful about straying
too far and getting lost!
