Venice - more than a dream

Venezia, La Serenissima, Queen of the Adriatic Sea, city of canals and palaces, was for a thousand years one of the most enduring mercantile sea powers on earth. Flamboyant and radiantly beautiful, Venice owes her grandeur to the sea, a bond celebrated yearly through regattas. Today it is a human tide that washes over her — millions come to capture a glimmer of her charms. In 810 , the Rialto island was the site of the first major constructions in this sea town, which included Saint Mark's Basilica in 828, designed to house the supposed relics of the Saint and those from the Benedictine monasteries of San Servolo, San Zaccaria and San Giorgio. The Basilica di San Marco is the most famous of the city's churches and one of the best known examples of Byzantine architecture. It lies on St Mark's Square adjacent and connected to the Doge's Palace. Building work on the first chapel to honor the freshly arrived corpse of St Mark, which Venetian merchants stole from Alexandria, Egypt, began in 828. On the loggia above the main door are copies of the delightful prancing horses that were also hijacked from Constantinople (the gilded-bronze originals are on display inside). The Horses of Saint Mark were installed on the basilica in about 1254. They date back to classical antiquity; by some accounts they once adorned the Arch of Trajan. The basilica's 10th-century campanile, a 99m-tall bell tower, collapsed without warning on 14 July 1902, and was rebuilt brick by brick Oddly, it contains just one bell, the marangona, which survived the fall. Palazzo Ducale, the Doge's Palace, a rare example of civil Venetian Gothic, was home to the doge (duke) and all arms of government, including prisons. Established in the 9th cent., the palace has been linked to the prison by the Bridge of Sighs (built in the 16th cent.). The name "Bridge of Sighs" (Ponte dei Sospiri) was coined by the 19th cent. Romantic poet Lord Byron, who popularized the belief that the bridge's name was inspired by the sighs of condemned prisoners as they were led through it to the executioner. It is believed that the legendary 18th-century philanderer Giacomo Casanova did some time there. Local legends mention that lovers will be assured eternal love if they kiss on a gondola at sunset under the bridge. The Torre Dell'orologio (Clock Tower), an early-Renaissance gem built by Mauro Codussi, is a fitting timepiece for the Piazza di Sa Marco, and was considered such a work of genius that it is said its designer (from the region of Emilia) was blinded to prevent him from repeating the feat anywhere else! As the central landmark and gathering place for Venice, Piazza San Marco is extremely popular with not only tourists and photographers, but also with pigeons. The Piazza originated in the 9th century as a small area in front of the original basilica, and was enlarged to its present size and shape in 1177. The Piazza di San Marco may be more famous, but the Ponte di Rialto (Rialto Bridge) is the true heart of Venice. The current structure, which replaced the old pontoon bridge (b. 1181) and the succeeding one made of timber (1280), was built in just three years, between 1588 and 1591 that had spanned the Grand Canal and remained the only way to cross it on foot until the Accademia Bridge was built in 1854. The Rialto Bridge's 24-foot arch was designed to allow passage of galleys, and the massive structure was built on some 12,000 wooden pilings that still support the bridge more than 400 years later. The architect, Antonio da Ponte ("Anthony of the Bridge," appropriately enough), competed against such eminent designers as Michelangelo and Palladio for the contract. Other famous landmarks in Venice are churches. The Basilica di Santa Maria della Salute (Basilica of St Mary of Health/Salvation), commonly known simply as the Salute, is famous not only because of its decorative and distinctive profile, but because its location makes it among the most photographed churches in Italy. Another church in Venice is San Giorgio Maggiore, designed by Andrea Palladio, and located on the island of San Giorgio Maggiore. Built in 1566, the church, sometimes designated as a basilica, is a prime example of Palladio's architectural style, and one of the finest churches he designed.

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YouTube | November 25, 2007

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