Venice Is A Heady Mix Of Beauty And Tourism

It is many years since I visited Venice in Italy, but I found it a heady mix of breathtaking beauty and bustling tourism. Or as Thomas Mann put it “half fairy tale and half tourist trap”. One of my favourite all time films is ‘Death in Venice’ based on a book by Thomas Mann. I wrote about it here.

Venice Is A Heady Mix of Beauty and Tourism

Where is Venice?

Not be confused with the Venice in California or the one in Florida (or anywhere else for that matter), Venice is in the North of Italy in the region of Veneto.

You have to like water to visit. It consists of 118 small islands separated by canals and connected, would you believe, by 400 or so bridges. I walked across quite a few of them my feet seem to remember. Venice sits in a shallow lagoon which, along with part of the city, is designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site. There are no roads, you fly to an airport and get a water taxi to your hotel.

A (Very Brief!)History of Venice

Escaping the Goths

Fleeing from the Goths, people from mainland Italy first inhabited the lagoon in the early and middle 5th Century.  The collapse of the Roman Empire and the invasion of ‘barbarians’ from the north meant their life on the mainland was in chaos.

This made some sense if you think about it, as then Venice was largely inaccessible. To get there you needed both ships and a knowledge of the sea, both lacking in the invaders. So by moving there the settlers ensured their safety. The salt from the lagoon was a source of wealth for the inhabitants.

Charlemagne

The city was the scene for much fighting as people tried to conquer it over the years. Famously Charlemagne and his son began a siege of Venice which did not end well, with the attackers ravaged by diseases they got from the swamps. This did, however, lead to the recognition of Venice as a Byzantine territory with trading rights along the Adriatic Coast. This set Venice up for one of the most abundant times in it’s history.

The Most Prosperous City in Europe

From the 9th to the 12th Century, Venice evolved to a city with invulnerable naval and commercial power owing to it’s position at the head of the Adriatic. By the late 13th Century, Venice was the most prosperous city in all of Europe. The city was governed by a council which elected a Doge (meaning leader or Duke) who held the title until death or they were forced to resign.

One of the famous sights in Venice is the Doge’s Palace and there were 117 Doges in total.  The first is said to have been elected in 697.

The Decline of Venice

The slow decline of Venice began in the 15th Century. This can be put down largely to three things:

• Following the unsuccessful defence of Constantinople by Venice (with which it retained strong links throughout it’s history), Venice became embroiled in a thirty year war with the Turks. This was costly and they lost some of the Mediterranean land they had gained in previous centuries.
• The discovery of the New World by Columbus, followed by the discovery of new sea routes, left Venice behind. Their oared galleys could not cope with crossing vast oceans in order to establish colonies.
• The plague devastated the population on three separate occasions.

Center For The Arts

The 18th Century saw a rise in Venice’s fortunes as it was seen as one of the most elegant cities in Europe and heavily influenced the art, architecture and literature of the time. It was visited by many artists and poets and was part of the ‘Grand Tour‘.

But then it was conquered by Napoleon! After some time under Austrian control, Venice joined the ‘Kingdom of Italy’ in 1866.

This is a summary, the full history, including how some of the well known features of modern day Venice, for example St Marks and the famous bronze horses, came to be can be read here.

Giacomo Casanova

I can’t write about Venice without mentioning Giacomo Casanova who earned his title ‘womanizer’ through his very many affairs. In 1775, Casanova was arrested for, among other things, committing an affront to moral decency.  He escaped from prison and thirty years later he wrote a book about that experience called ‘Story of My Flight’. Amazingly, given all his escapades, he lived to be 73 years old. You can read all about his fascinating and eventful life in his own words in his book ‘Histoire De Ma Vie’ (Story of My Life).

Walking Around Venice In a Foggy October

I spent some time in Venice in a foggy October, many years ago. In spite of the fog, it was a good time to go as it avoided the main tourist season. Cheap flights and the arrival of gigantic cruise ships in the lagoon has damaged the underpinning of the city but also brought in floods of visitors. (See this article about tourism in Venice – look at the crowds!). I was lucky to avoid this I think.

Taking water taxis between attractions, I spent a lot of time inside buildings looking at beautiful art and artifacts. I sat and paid an extortionate sum of money for a cappuccino in St Marks Square (it was worth it).

Venice Has Real Spirit of Place

But what really captivated me was the ambiance of the place. You can feel the history and imagine the people over the years travelling on the canals or walking across the bridges. At times it was like going back in time. I got up early in the morning to walk around before the other tourists were up and around. The atmosphere of the tiny canals with just a hint of fog was quite captivating.

It is possible to get away from the crowds – my system is if I meet a crowd take the next right. It often led me to uninterrupted breathtaking views which I tried to capture in my artistic images.

Would I recommend a visit to Venice. Gosh yes! But out of the main tourist season if possible so that you that you are more able to enjoy the beauty and romance of the place.

Artistic Impressions of Venice

I have illustrated the blog with images I created from my visit to Venice. Click on an image to go to a page with more information about it. But I leave you with a short video I created, pulling them all together. Good memories of a beautiful place.

All of the images in my blog today are available to buy as fine art prints. Check out my RedBubble and Pictorem stores to see my collection of Italian images.

Before you go

My name is Dorothy Berry-Lound an artist and writer. You can find out more about my art and writing at https://dorothyberryloundart.com.

You can follow me on Facebook.

Thank you for reading!