This past weekend, I had the opportunity to visit Venice because my host parents are part of a choral group that was singing in St. Mark's Basilica on Saturday. I have already been to Venice when I studied abroad in Italy during college, but this was tutta un'altra musica, as they say in Italian, because I saw and toured some new monuments in the city this time. So let's get into my weekend in Venice!
We took a bus to Venice and arrived around midday because it's about a 2-3 hour drive from Gazzaniga. My host parents would be singing during the evening mass so we were able to tour the city in the afternoon beforehand.
One of the churches that we visited in Venice was the Chiesa di Santa Maria di Nazareth or Chiesa degli Scalzi. It is located in Venice's Cannaregio neighborhood and the facade is built in the Venetian Late Baroque Style.
Also known as the Church of the Scalzi, it is the church of the Discalced Carmelites religious order in Venice.
The magnificent high altar inside the church was designed by Fra Giuseppe Pozzo. This colossal canopy supported by twisted columns protects the tabernacle which contains the canteen from the island of Santa Maria di Nazareth to which the church is named.
The ceiling done by Giambattista Tiepolo was destroyed by an Austrian bombardment in 1915. Ettore Tito painted frescoes to repair the damage and the remains of Tiepolo's work are now in a museum in Venice.
After touring this church, we continued to walk around Venice. Here I am with my host parents, Alex and Erica.
This is one of the many canals in Venice. Cars are forbidden in Venice, evident by its lack of big roads, iconic gondolas and the vaporetto (water-buses).
Streets in Venice are called "calli" which form the maze of the city in which it is easy to get lost.
Another beautiful monument we visited was La Scuola Grande di San Rocco. This building wasn't exactly a school, as you might think because of the word "scuola" but it actually was a sort of fraternity. In the second half of the 13th century, numerous lay confraternities met in Northern Italy in the name of Christ, the Virgin Mary, or a patron saint, for religious worship or mutual aid purpose. These Scuole played an important part in the religious life and charitable works of the town, organizing to what eventually became an entire welfare system, initially for members only but then offered to everyone.
The interior of the Scuola is absolutely stunning. There are over 60 paintings with episodes from the Old and New Testaments, all done by Jacopo Tintoretto.
As we walked through the narrow streets of Venice, of course we saw many masks in storefront windows. These elaborate masks are called Bauta and are worn during the annual Venice Carnival. They are usually white and cover most facial features.
Another beautiful canal in Venice
As we made our way to the main piazza in Venice, Piazza San Marco, we crossed the Rialto Bridge, one of the oldest of the four bridges spanning the Grand Canal of Venice. It is not only famous because it's one of the oldest bridges in the city, but it's also considered an architectural and engineering achievement of the Renaissance during the time in which it was built.
The view from the Rialto Bridge
After crossing the bridge we finally arrived in the Piazza San Marco where you can find the Basilica di San Marco, the cathedral church of Venice. It is dedicated and holds the relics of Saint Mark the Evangelist, the patron saint of the city. The exterior of the west facade (what you see above) is divided into 3 main segments -- the lower segment, the upper segment and the domes. The Winged Lion, the official symbol of the Venetian Republic, is above the large central window.
Originally the exterior of the church was brick but in the thirteenth century the patterned marble encrustation, numerous columns and sculptural elements were all added to enrich the church. St. Mark's Basilica was created over a period of 800 years and there are more than 8,000 square meters of gold mosaic inside the church.
Venice was a powerful and important city from the 13th to 17th centuries because it received goods from the east by sea and disseminated them into the rapidly expanding European market. Because it was once this entry point from the Orient into Europe, there are a lot of different gothic and Arabic architectural styles reflected in the city's buildings and monuments.
The photos above are of the Piazza San Marco, the main square in Venice. St. Mark's Campanile is the bell tower of St. Mark's Basilica.
We walked along St. Mark's Canal after walking around St. Mark's Piazza.
While walking. we saw the famous gondolas that Venice is known for but we didn't take a ride in one.
We also saw the Venetian Arsenal during our walk, which is the red brick building towards the end of the canal. The Arsenal is where ships were constructed and was responsible for most of Venice's naval power from the late Middle Ages to the early modern period.
With Erica, my host mom, as we walked along St. Mark's Canal
One of the ports along St. Mark's Canal
Eventually we came upon a park, The Venice Giardini della Biennale, where we had a drink at this cute greenhouse cafe. The Giardini's Greenhouse was built in 1894 and is the oldest permanent structure in the park. Today it is a public space devoted to supporting artistic and nature activities connected to cultural heritage.
After our coffee in the park, we went back to St. Mark's Basilica for Erica and Alex's choral performance and mass. During mass, I admired the interior of the church. These gold mosaics that make up the inside of the church reflect the church's Byzantine style, as well as styles from the classical and 19th century periods.
We took a vaporetto (water bus) after the mass to return to our bus. It was beautiful to see Venice by night.
To celebrate at the end of the night, we went to a restaurant called Venexian that imitates the boats on the canals in Venice. I ate a pizza with horse meat on it -- it had a flavorful taste and I would probably get it again.
To conclude, those are my adventures in Venice this past Saturday. I am so happy I was able to visit this spectacular city a second time as there are always new monuments and beautiful treasures waiting to be discovered. Venezia is an exceptional city, completely different than every other one I've visited. It has such a wide range of different architectural styles because of its history and St. Mark's Basilica is truly one of a kind. I would highly recommend a visit if you ever get a chance!
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