This
post is based primarily on Don's notes, occasionally supplemented with MT's
notes from our cruise in 2019. When information from other sources is added—for
further explanation to readers or to satisfy our own curiosity—that is set off
in a text box (as this one).
Most
of the photos that accompany this post are from Don’s camera (with a caption
indicating the time it was taken); those from MT’s iPhone are indicated by “MT”
placed at the beginning of the photo caption. Photos from any other source (such
as the public domain Wikimedia Commons), occasionally used for clarification,
indicate that source in the caption.
After
checking online that our flight was “On Time” for a 4:08 pm takeoff, we rode by
car with our friend Rosemary to Kansas City International (KCI) airport,
leaving Leavenworth, KS at 1:15 pm and arriving at KCI at 2 pm.
As
soon as we got in line to check bags, an American Airlines employee told us that
the flight to Chicago had been cancelled, due to weather in Chicago. Immediately,
we were concerned about not being able to make our connecting flight to Venice,
especially since we would have to get from Terminal H to Terminal K. However,
they switched us to another American flight to Chicago scheduled to depart at
3:15, earlier than out original flight. However, at the time to board it
starting at 2:45, they announced a delay, to start boarding at 3:42 for a 4:42
wheels-up. This caused us to again get concerned about connections. Then, they
actually started boarding earlier than announced, and we were onboard by 3:30.
The plane took off at 4:05 and landed in Chicago at 5:15, deplaning at 5:35. We
got to Gate K12 at 5:55 for a 7:05 scheduled boarding for a 7:55 departure.
MT Monday, July 29, 2019 5:45 PM – Chicago: O’Hare Airport – flags (in
alphabetical order from the far end) in International Terminal.
We
arrived in Venice around the 11:40 am scheduled time (with a 7-hour time
difference). The limousine service we had booked to take us from the airport to
the Cruise Ship Terminal at Piraeus was not waiting for us, as arranged. MT’s iPhone
had no service that we could use to contact them. Since Viking had many
representatives there to meet passengers using the Viking transfer, we got one
of them to call the limousine service for us. They had lost our reservation but
said they could come in 20 minutes. The owner’s son came in a Mercedes van and
took us to the ship, where we arrived about the same time as other passengers
from our flight who had used the Viking transfer.
We
were each issued a key card for out stateroom. We also had to scan this card
each time we exited or re-entered the ship.
Photo of Don’s key card and reverse side of MT’s card.
Since our luggage had not come with a Viking transfer, we had to wait for the ship’s people to scan our bags and take them to our stateroom (4043) before we could take the Viking-provided shuttle boat to the center of Venice to visit San Marco Square, as planned. When we were finally allowed to join other guests on the gangway and entered the ship, we were greeted with glasses of Champaign.
Our
ship was the Viking Star. Which the captain would soon explain was the
“flagship” of the Viking ocean cruise ships, built in 2015, and all their other
ships were patterned after it. Along with a crew of several hundred, it can
accommodate 930 guests. However, it is classed as a ”Small Ship (Cruising),”
since other ocean cruise ships are much larger, such as the Italy-based MSC
Musica (2,550 passengers and 987 crew), which often shared a port with us).
In
our room, we found the Viking Daily newsletter for Jul 30, giving us the day’s
schedule, along with a Shore Excursion Booking Form listing all excursions
still available and others with “Waitlist.” It listed the weather in Venice as
“Sunny, 85°F,” as well as how
to say “Please take me back to the ship” in Italian (each day’s newsletter
would give this useful phrase in the language of the country visited).
There
was no included shore excursion in Venice, and the three optional excursions
were all in the evening, when we had a special dinner scheduled onboard. Since
we had already seen Venice when we visited MT’s relatives in northern Italy in
the past, we thought it would be enough just to spend a short time on our own
in the center of the old city.
Venezia (Venice) has a
population of about 261,000, of which around 55,000 live in the historical city
center. It is a truly unique city (pop., built on a series of low mud banks amid
a lagoon in the tidal waters of the Adriatic Sea and therefore regularly subject
to floods. The Venetian Lagoon was probably first settled around the time of
Christ. During the barbarian invasions and the decline of the Roman Empire,
this small group of islands became a safe haven for people escaping persecution
in mainland Europe. By the 6th century, a loose confederation of communities
had formed, initially under the control of Byzantium (Constantinople). By 697,
however, it became the Republic of Venice under the autonomous control of a
leader, called the Doge, elected by members of the Great Council of Venice, the
city-state’s parliament. During the Middle Ages, under the leadership of a
series of doges, the power and influence of Venice spread throughout the
Mediterranean, as far as Constantinople. Trading links with the East soon
brought the city great wealth, particularly during the Crusades, during which
the Venetian navy played a key role, and by the 13th century it owned
territories stretching to the Black Sea. This prosperity and prestige led to
conflict with the papacy and other European powers, which Venice initially
withstood. However, by the early 15th century, the Ottoman Empire became a
threat, and the opening of new trade routes to the Americas and the East Indies
via the Atlantic weakened the importance of Venice’s traditional routes to Eastern
markets. Venice then went into a period of decline, until the Republic fell to Napoleon
in 1797. After Napoleon’s defeat, Venice passed to the Austrians, who moved
their trade route through Trieste, ending any hope of Venice’s re-emergence.
Finally, in 1866, Venice joined the Kingdom of Italy.
Also in our room was the Venice Shuttle Boat Schedule, showing departures from Piraeus port on the hour from noon to 8 pm and departing for return to ship on the half hour from 12:30 pm to 9:30 pm.
We caught the 2 pm shuttle for the 30-minute ride.
3:02 PM – Piraeus: shuttle boat “Cita de Chio[s]”
(City of Chio[s]) docked near Viking Star.
3:03 PM – Piraeus: passengers preparing to board
shuttle boat “Cita de Chio[s]” (at left) docked near Viking Star, with smaller
boat in between.
3:04 PM – Piraeus: better view, from shuttle, of
Viking Star, as smaller boat in between was departing.
The Laguna de Venezia
(Venetian Lagoon) is an enclosed, crescent-shaped bay between the Italian
mainland and the Adriatic Sea, in which the city of Venice and many small
islands are located. The city itself rests on 118 small islands, either natural
or created by dredging canals, linked by over 400 bridges. About 11 % is
permanently covered by open water or a network of dredged canals.
Islands of the Venetian
Lagoon map (By Nikater - Own work based on OpenStreetMap, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=14738553).
Islands of the Venetian
Lagoon map (CROPPED); the shuttle boat would take us from the Venice Cruise
Port (A) to the Cornoldi Pier (B), through the canal below the large body of
Venezia (By Nikater - Own work based on OpenStreetMap, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=14738553).
When
the shuttle boat docked, the shuttle schedule had us told to go over 4 stone
bridges (it turned out to be only 3, depending on where you started counting) to
the left and then turn right to go to San Marco Square.
MT 3:37 PM – Venice: MT and Don on a stone bridge
near boat dock, with bell tower of the Chiesa di San Giorgio dei Greci on canal
in background (mild telephoto 48 mm).
The 16th-century Chiesa di San
Giorgio dei Greci (Church of St. George of the Greeks) is located on the
east side of the Rio dei Greci (Canal of the Greeks). Its bell tower was built
in 1592.
When we came to the third bridge, we found many tourists gathered there to take photos (we had seen this crowded bridge as the shuttle boat approached the pier). This was the Ponte della Paglia (Bridge of Straw).
Venice: Ponte della Paglia (By
No machine-readable author provided. BetacommandBot assumed (based on copyright
claims). - No machine-readable source provided. Own work assumed (based on
copyright claims)., CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=3503911).
The Ponte della Paglia (Bridge of Straw), built of Istrian stone*, has a pretty balustrade of columns and sculpted pinecones. The current structure dates from 1847, and the original bridge was built in 1360, making it the oldest stone bridge in Venice. The name comes from boats mooring nearby to offload straw (paglia). This bridge is a common place from which to view the Bridge of Sighs. Both bridges span the Rio del Palazzo canal.
* Istrian stone is a dense
type of impermeable limestone quarried in Istria. It approaches the compressive
strength and density of marble, which is metamorphosed limestone. It is often
referred to as Istrian “marble,” which is not strictly correct.
3:49 PM – Venice: view from Ponte della Paglia,
up canal to north, to Bridge of Sighs.
MT 3:42 PM – Venice: view from Ponte della
Paglia, up canal to north, to Bridge of Sighs (mild telephoto 56 mm).
Venice: Bridge of Sighs (By
Didier Descouens - Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=79410885).
The Ponte dei Sospiri (Bridge of Sighs), from 1600, was built as a passageway between the interrogation rooms of the Palazzo Ducale (Doge’s Palace) and the Prigioni Nuove (New Prison). It reportedly took its name from the sighs of prisoners being led to trial or at their final view of the beautiful city before being taken down into their cells. It is an enclosed bridge made of white limestone with stone bars.
Just after the Ponte della Paglia, we came to an ornate Gothic building that MT at first thought was the Ca’d’Oro (House of Gold) we had seen on our earlier visit to Venice. However, we eventually saw a sign that clearly identified it as the Palazzo Ducale, built in a similar style.
The 15th-century Ca’d’Oro
(House of Gold), which reveals Moorish influences in its roof finials and
sinuous pointed arches, has arcading influenced by the Palazzo Ducale.
3:49 PM – Venice: view from Ponte della Paglia,
of south façade of Palazzo Ducale.
The Palazzo Ducale (Doges’
[Ducal] Palace), founded in the 9th century, was the official residence of each
Venetian ruler (doge). However, the palace owes its present external appearance
to the building work in the 14th and early 15th centuries, in airy Gothic style.
Breaking with tradition, the bulk of the palace (in pink Veronese marble) is
perched on top of an apparent fretwork of loggias and arcades (in white Istrian
stone). The Gothic arcades are at ground level, and the loggias on the floor
above. Each arch of the ground-level arcades supports two arches of the loggia.
3:50 PM – Venice: view from Molo (quay), of south façade of Palazzo Ducale; MT in center foreground (back to camera); red sign under 3rd arch from left said "Palazzo Ducale."
MT 3:44 PM – Venice: Don on Molo (quay) in front
of south façade of Palazzo Ducale.
At
the far end of the south façade of the Palazzo Ducale, we turner right
(northward) into the Piazzetta di San Marco.
The Piazzetta di San Marco
(Little Square of St. Mark), with the Palazzo Ducale on its east side, is an extension
of the Piazza San Marco that opens out onto the Molo (quay) fronting the Lagoon
at its southeast corner. The south end of the Piazzetta is adorned by a pair of
large granite columns. Atop the two columns stand statues of the two patron
saints of Venice. One statue (on the west) is of St. Theodore, who was the
patron of the city before St. Mark, holding a spear and with a crocodile to
represent the dragon he was said to have slain; this is made up of parts of
antique statues. The second (eastern) column is topped by a winged lion, the
Lion of Venice, which is the symbol of St. Mark (the lion of St. Mark). These
columns were brought from the East in 1172 and act as a kind of symbolic gate
toward the Adriatic Sea. The columns are now thought to have been erected about
1268, when the water was closer and they would have been on the edge of the
Lagoon, framing the entrance to the city from the sea. The lion is first
mentioned in a decree of the Great Council in 1293, and wording makes it clear
that it was already on the pillar at that date. A statue of St. Theodore (but
not the present statue) was in place by 1329. In 1797, Napoleon ordered the bronze
lion of the column to be taken down and sent to Paris; it was returned in 1815 after
the fall of Napoleon but had been badly broken and had to be repaired; it was
placed back on its pillar in 1816.
On the west side of the Piazzetta
is the Libreria Sansoviniana (mid-16th century), built by the Italian
sculptor and architect Jacopo d’Antonio Sansovino, who had fled to Venice after
the sack of Rome in 1527. This building, which now houses the National Library was
originally built to house the library of the Basilica San Marco (books and
manuscripts bequeathed to the city by Cardinal Bessarion) and is therefore also
known as Libreria Marciana or Biblioteca Marciana (St. Mark’s Library).
3:53 PM – Venice: view from Piazzetta, of Piazza
San Marco, with Campanile at left, Clock Tower at far north end of square, Basilica
di San Marco at right, and west façade of Palazzo Ducale at far right
(vertical).
The Piazza San Marco (St.
Mark’s Square) is the principal public square of Venice. The square is
dominated at its eastern end by the Basilica di San Marco (Basilica of St.
Mark). The only pre-Renaissance buildings and monuments still standing there
are the Basilica, the Palazzo Ducale, and the two large columns in the
Piazzetta.
In 828-29, relics of St. Mark the
Evangelist were stolen from Alexandria and brought to Venice, and in time the
Venetians adopted the apostle as their new patron saint, replacing their first
patron, St. Theodore. The relics were temporarily placed in the palace (or
castle) of the Doge, who provided in his will for a new church to be built and
dedicated to St. Mark, and the relics were moved there in 836. At that time,
there was probably an empty space covered with grass in front of the new
church. But it could not have extended more than about 60 m to the west, where
there was a stream (the Rio Baratario) bisecting the area now occupied by the
Piazza. On the other side of that stream was a small church dedicated to San
Geminiano, The Doge’s palace, in the same area as its modern successor, was at
that time surrounded by water. The Lagoon was to the south, the Rio di Palazzo
(the canal beneath the Bridge of sighs) to the east, and another stream to the
north between the palace and the church. There was an inlet from the Lagoon,
serving as a dock for the city, that occupied much of the space now covered by
the Piazzetta. In the late 12th century, the Rio Baratario was filled in, and
the church of San Geminiano on the far side was demolished and rebuilt much
farther back at the west end of what became the Piazza. The Doge bought up a
number of other buildings that were demolished to clear the area. The Piazza
was also paved in the late 12th century. The rest of the history of the Piazza
is defined by the construction and expansion of buildings around it.
MT 3:46 PM – Venice: view from Piazzetta, of Piazza
San Marco, with Biblioteca Marciana at far left, Campanile just to the right of
that, Clock Tower at far north end of square, Basilica di San Marco at right,
and a bit of west façade of Palazzo Ducale at far right (horizontal).
The Campanile di San Marco (Campanile
of St. Mark) is the bell tower of St. Mark’s Basilica. However, it stands
distinctly separate from the basilica, on the opposite (west) side of St. Mark’s
Square. Construction of the first campanile on this site began in the 9th
century, built on Roman foundations. It was used as a watchtower and lighthouse
for the dock, which then occupied a substantial part of what is now the
Piazzetta. The present structure was originally built in 1156-73, still to
serve as a lighthouse to assist sailors in the Lagoon. Except for several
16th-century renovations, the tower survived unharmed until 1902, when its
foundations unexpectedly gave way and the tower collapsed. It was rebuilt in
1912 “com’era, dov’era” (as it was, where it was).
The tower is 98.6 m (323 ft) tall
and is one of the most recognizable symbols of the city. It has a simple form,
the bulk of which is a square shaft of fluted brick, above which is a loggia
surrounding the belfry. The belfry is topped by a cube, the alternating faces
of which show the Lion of St. Mark and the female representation of Venice (la
Giustizia: Justice). The tower is capped by a pyramidal spire, at the top of
which sits a golden weathervane in the form of the archangel Gabriel.
3:53 PM –
Venice: view from Piazzetta, of Piazza San Marco, with Campanile at left, Clock
Tower at far north end of square, Basilica di San Marco at right, and more of
west façade of Palazzo Ducale at far right (horizontal).
3:54 PM – Venice: view from Piazzetta, of south
side of Basilica di San Marco, with Clock Tower at left and west façade of
Palazzo Ducale at right.
3:55 PM – Venice: view back across Piazzetta to the south, with west façade of Palazzo Ducale at left and two columns on right, the left of which is topped with a winged lion and the one on the right with St. Theodore.
3:55 PM – Venice: view back across Piazzetta to the south, with two columns, the left of which is topped with a winged lion; on the far right is the Libreria Sansoviniana.
3:55 PM – Venice: column topped with a winged lion (with a live pigeon perched on its head) on south end of Piazzetta (telephoto 156 mm).
3:55 PM – Venice: column topped with a statue (photo-bombed by a bird) of St. Theodore (although it looked like St. George and the Dragon), to right of one topped with a winged lion on south end of Piazzetta (telephoto 156 mm).
3:54 PM – Venice: view from Piazzetta, of south side of Basilica di San Marco, with Clock Tower at left and west façade of Palazzo Ducale at right.
The south façade of the
Basilica, until it was enclosed in 1503, was intended to be an imposing
ceremonial entrance facing the Lagoon. However, even with the Palazzo Ducale covering
a good part of it, this façade is still an arresting sight from the Grand
Canal. Sculptures and mosaics add to its richly detailed architecture. Particularly
noteworthy, along with the two griffins in the first arch, is the 13th-cebtury
Byzantine mosaic if the Virgin between the arches of the upper floor. In front
of the façade are two marble pilasters covered in magnificent 6th-century
reliefs. These were spoils of war, carried off by the Venetians in 1256. The
sculpture of the Four Tetrarchs on the southwest corner was carved from
porphyry, probably in Egypt in the 4th century.
As
we moved on from the Piazzetta to the main Piazza di San Marco, Don noticed an
ornate portal set back from the Piazzetta to the right of the west façade of
the Basilica di San Marco and (incorrectly) assumed that this was a side
entrance to the basilica. However, it turned out to be the main entrance to the
Palazzo Ducale, known as the Porta della Carta.
3:56 PM – Venice: Porta della Carta.
Venice: detail of Porta della
Carta (By Luca Aless - Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=49839428).
The Porta della Carta (Door of the Paper), between the Basilica di San Marco and the Palazzo Ducale, is one of the two entrances of the Palazzo. It is called the Porta della Carta because in proximity to it there was a desk with a scribe who could write a letter, message, or contract for illiterates. It was built in the flamboyant Gothic style in 1438-42. It is a tall, narrow structure because it is wedged between the northwest corner of the Palazzo and the Basilica. It appears to be made with fine Istrian marble with supporting structures in Carrara marble (white for the statues) and Verona red marble (for the curbs and the columns of the windows). At the top of the portal is a statue of Justice seated, the theme of fair judgment and justice being much emphasized on this side of the palace. Under the triple arched window above the door is a marble sculpture representing the Lion of San Marco in the center and the Doge Francesco Foscari kneeling in front of it; this is a 19th-century copy (1885) made after the original was destroyed in 1797, when the French entered Venice and tried to erase symbols of the fallen Venetian Republic. In niches flanking that statue are four statues of the Cardinal Virtues of Fortitude, Prudence, Hope, and Charity, all qualities of a good government, but subordinate to Justice.
On the rear (northwest) corner of the
Palazzo Ducale (also visible in Don’s photo) is a statue of the Judgment of
Solomon, with a statue of the Archangel Gabriel above it,
The first building we encountered when entering the Piazza San Marco was the Basilica di San Marco.
MT 3:48 PM – Venice: Basilica di San Marco – south
façade, with northwest corner of Palazzo Ducale at right.
The Basilica di San Marco
(St. Mark’s Basilica) dominates the east side of the Piazza San Marco. The full
name of the church is Basilica Cattedrale di San Marco (Patriarchal Cathedral
of St. Mark). Originally, it was the chapel of the Doge and has been the city’s
cathedral only since 1807, when it became the seat of the Patriarch of Venice,
the Archbishop of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Venice. It is the most
famous of the city’s churches and one of the best known examples of
Italo-Byzantine architecture. The whole west façade with its great arches and
marble decoration, the Romanesque carvings around the central doorway, and
above all, the four horses that preside over the whole square and are potent
symbols of the pride and power of Venice.
The first chapel of the Doge was a
built here next to the Palazzo Ducale, probably about 819, and was dedicated to
St. Theodore, a Greek warrior saint. A new church was ordered by the Doge in
828, when Venetian merchants stole from Alexandria the relics traditionally considered
to be those of St. Mark the Evangelist, the missionary-apostle who is said to
have converted the district around Venice. This first church of St. Mark was
completed by 832 and was burned during a rebellion in 976, but then restored or
rebuilt in 978. Nothing certain is known of the form of these early churches.
However the design of the first church dedicated to St. Mark was based on the
church of the Twelve Apostles in Constantinople, and it seems to have covered
the same area as the central part of the present church.
The basic structure of the present
basilica dates from roughly 1060 to 1100, and most of the later work has been
to embellish this rather than replace elements. The famous façade has an
ornamented roofline that is mostly Gothic, and the gold-background mosaics that
now cover almost all of the upper areas of the interior took centuries to
complete. Unlike most Italian churches, San Marco never made the transition to
fresco wall paintings around the 13th century and continued to add mosaics
until the 19th century. The vast majority of the bright mosaics that cover the
interior use the traditional background of gold glass tesserae (small, square
pieces of metal or glass used in mosaic work). This was probably partly due to
a wish to support the local glass industry on the island of Murano, which
supplied the tesserae. Due to its opulent design, gold mosaics, and its status as
a symbol of Venetian wealth and power, it has been known since the 11th century
by the nickname Chiesa d’Oro (Church of Gold).
The blending in of Byzantine and
Islamic elements gives the church an exotic Oriental touch. Many of those elements
were brought here as spoils after the Venetian-led conquest of Constantinople
in the Fourth Crusade of 1204 and the 13th century, such as mosaics, columns,
capitals, or friezes from ancient or Byzantine buildings. Venetian sculptors of
other capitals an friezes copied the Byzantine style so effectively that some
of their work can only be distinguished with difficulty. Gradually the original
brick building became covered with marble cladding and carvings, some much
older than the building itself.
3:57 PM – Venice: Basilica di San Marco – west façade.
The exterior of the west façade
is divided in three registers: lower, upper, and domes.
In the lower register are
five round-arched portals, enveloped by polychrome marble columns, open into
the narthex (porch before entering the main church) through bronze-fashioned
doors. The upper level of mosaics in the lunettes of the lateral ogee arches
has scenes from the Life of Christ (all post-Renaissance replacements)
culminating in a 19th-century replacement Last Judgment lower down over the
main portal that replaced a damaged one of the same subject. Mosaics with
scenes showing the history of the relics of St. Mark from left to right fill
the lunettes of the lateral portals; the first one on the left is the only one
on the façade still surviving from the 13th century.
The stone sculpture is relatively
limited at the lower level, where a forest of columns and patterned marble
slabs are the main emphasis. It includes relatively narrow bands of Romanesque
work on the portals, richly carved borders of foliage mixed with figures to the
ogee arches and other elements, and large, shallow relief saints between the arches.
Along the roofline, in contrast, there is a line of statues, many with their
own small pavilions, culminating with St. Mark flanked by six angels in the
center, above a large gilded winged lion (his symbol and that of Venice).
In the upper register, from
the top of ogee arches, statues of Theological and Cardinal virtues, four
Warrior Saints, Constantine, Demetrius, George, Theodosius, and St. Mark watch
over the city. Above the large central window of the façade, under St. Mark,
the winged lion (his symbol) holds a book quoting “Pax Tibi Marce Evangelista
Meus” (Peace to you Mark my evangelist). In the center of the balcony are the
famous bronze horses.
The four Horses of St. Mark
were installed on the balcony above the portal in about 1254. They date to Classical
Antiquity and presumably were originally the team pulling a chariot containing
the Emperor. By some accounts, they once adorned the Arch of Trajan in Rome.
The horses, thought to be from the 3rd or 4th century, were long displayed at
the Hippodrome of Constantinople, and in 1204 Doge Enrico Dandolo sent them
back to Venice as part of the loot sacked from Constantinople in the Fourth
Crusade. They were taken to Paris by Napoleon in 1797 but returned to Venice in
1815.
3:57 PM – Venice: Basilica di San Marco – central
portion of west façade.
MT 3:50 PM – Venice: Basilica di San Marco – west
façade.
MT 3:52 PM – Venice: Basilica di San Marco – Don
and MT in front of central portion of west façade.
3:58 PM – Venice: Basilica di San Marco – Last
Judgment (1836) above main portal of west façade (mild telephoto 81 mm).
3:58 PM – Venice: Basilica di San Marco – left
side of west façade.
3:58 PM – Venice: Basilica di San Marco – upper
right side of west façade.
Don suggested that we go around the north side of the Basilica to see if we could see the Bridge of Sighs from a different angle.
4:03 PM – Venice: Basilica di San Marco – north façade,
with Porta dei Fiori at right.
The Porta dei Fiori (Door of
the Flowers) has a beautiful 13th-century relief of the Nativity, framed by
foliage, angels, and prophets.
Two other reliefs on the north façade
are the 7th- or 8th-century depiction of a judge’s throne with six sheep on
each side (symbolizing the 12 Apostles), and Alexander the Great’s chariot,
drawn by griffins, from the 10th century.
MT 3:57 PM – Venice: “Medico della Peste” mask in
shop between north side of Basilica di San Marco and Rio del Palazzo canal.
The Medico della Peste (Plague
Doctor) mask is part of a costume associated with a commedia dell-arte
character called Il Medico della Peste, who wears a distinctive plague
doctor’s mask. The Venetian mask, traditionally worn during the Carnivale di
Venezia (Carnival of Venice), is normally white, consisting of a hollow beak
and round eye-holes covered with clear glass.
The clothing worn by plague doctors
was intended to protect them from airborne diseases. The costume, used in
France and Italy in the 17th century, consisted of an ankle-length overcoat and
a bird-like beak mask, often filled with sweet- or strong-smelling substances
(herbs, spices, or dried flowers), along with gloves, leggings, boots, a
wide-brimmed hat, and an outer over-clothing garment (all made of waxed
leather). The purpose of the mask was to keep away “evil” smells, known as miasma,
which were thought to be the principal cause of the plague, before it was
disproved by the germ theory. Doctors believed the herbs in the beak would
prevent them from becoming infected.
MT 3:58 PM – Venice: view to south from a bridge
over the Rio del Palazzo canal on Calle Largo San Marco, with Bridge of Sighs in far distance, another bridge
closer, and gondolas parked at right.
4:05 PM – Venice: view to south from a bridge
over the Rio del Palazzo canal on Calle Largo San Marco, with Bridge of Sighs
in far distance, another bridge closer, gondolas passing under our bridge, and more
gondolas parked at right.
4:06 PM – Venice: fancy gondola parked by bridge over the Rio del Palazzo canal.
4:06 PM – Venice: view from a bridge over the Rio
del Palazzo canal of next bridge to north.
From
there, we went back around the north side of the Basilica, stopping at the Piazzetta
dei Leoncini.
4:08 PM – Venice: Basilica di San Marco – north façade
with MT in right foreground looking toward Piazzetta dei Leoncini.
Venice: Piazzetta dei Leoncini
– statues of two lions near north façade of Basilica (By I, Daniel Ventura, CC
BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=2340924).
The Piazzetta dei Leoncini (Little Square of the Little Lions) is a small open space on the north side of the basilica, named after the two marble lions dating from 1722. However, it is now officially called the Piazzetta San Giovanni XXIII (Little Square of St. John the 23rd). The square has an elevated central area, accessible by short stairways, on which two statues of crouching lions, known as leoncini (little lions) are placed. The lions are made of red Cottanello marble (not red Verona marble, as some guides erroneously state). In the center of the square there is a well with a protective balustrade, the only public well in the whole complex of the San Marco area.
MT 4:02 PM – Venice: Piazzetta dei Leoncini – Don
with one of the marble lions.
“This
takes its name from the two small lions (Leoncini) in red marble (1722).
“At
the far end stands the neo-classical structure of the Patriarch’s Palace, built
in 1836-1850 to designs by Lorenzo Santi. To the left is the church of San
Basso (1676) and to the right the north wall of St. Mark’s Basilica, adorned
with splendid carved marble decoration ([especially, the] Porta dei Fiori [is
richly carved]).”
On the north side of the Piazza San Marco is the Torre dell’Orologio (Clock Tower).
Around 3:57 PM – Venice: Clock Tower buildings.
3:53 PM – Venice: top part of Clock Tower buildings
on north side of Piazza San Marco, with bell-ringing figures (telephoto 119
mm).
Beyond the Piazzetta dei Leoncini,
on the north side of the Piazza San Marco, is the Torre dell’Orologio
(Clock Tower), comprising the tower and lower buildings on either side. By
1490, an old clock at the northwest corner of St. Mark’s Basilica was in very
bad shape. In 1493, an astronomical clock was commissioned by the Senate of Venice,
and it was decided to install it in a new Clock Tower in the Piazza San Marco. The
building was started in 1496 and was completed in 1499. Buildings on either
side to support the tower were added by 1506.
Venice: Clock Tower – bell-ringing
“Moors” at top (By Ambrogio da le Anchore, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=24843568).
On a terrace at the top of the
tower is a pair of large bronze figures, hinged at the waist, that strike the
hours on a bell. One is old and the other young, to show the passing of time,
Although said to represent shepherds (they are wearing sheepskins) or giants
(due to their huge size), they are commonly known as “the Moors” because of the
dark patina acquired by the bronze. The statues were originally gilded.
Venice: Clock Tower – Lion of
St. Mark with book but no Doge (By © Marie-Lan Nguyen / Wikimedia
Commons, CC BY 2.5, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=24840853).
Below that level is the winged Lion
of St. Mark holding an open book, in front of a blue background with gold
stars. The lion is somewhat off-center to the left, since, to its right, there
was originally a statue of the Doge Agostino Barbarigo (ruled 1486-1501), which
in 1797, after the city surrendered to Napoleon, was removed by the French, who
were purging the city of all symbols of the old regime.
Venice: Clock Tower – statue
of Virgin and Child between doors with blue panels for hour and minutes (10:35)
(By © Marie-Lan Nguyen / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.5, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=24839577).
Below that is a semicircular
gallery with a gilt statue of the Virgin and Child seated. On either side of
the statue are two large blue panels showing the time: the hour on the left in
Roman numerals and the minutes (at 5-minute intervals) in Arabic numerals.
Twice a year, at the feasts of the Epiphany (Jan 6) an the Ascension (40 days
after Easter), the three Magi, led by an angel with a trumpet, emerge from the
doorway on the left normally taken up by the Roman numeral for the hour and
pass in procession around the gallery, bowing to the Virgin and child before
disappearing through the other door on the right.
Venice: Clock Tower – Three
Magi led by an angel traversing the gallery (By Aw58 - Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=45663939).
Venice: Clock Tower – clockface
(By Peter J StB Green - Own work, CC BY 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=10487092).
Below that is a large clock face in blue and gold inside a fixed circle of marble engraved with the 24 hours in Roman numerals. A golden pointer with an image of the sun moves around this circle to indicate the hour. Within the marble circle are the signs of the zodiac (original and dating from the 1490s) that revolve slightly more slowly than the sun pointer to show the position of the sun in the zodiac. In the middle of the clockface is the earth (in the center) and the moon, which revolves to show its phases.
The lower two floors of the tower are
occupied by a monumental archway that leads to the Rialto, the commercial and
financial center.
From there, we headed back toward the pier with the shuttle boat, passing the Palazzo Ducale again on the way.
4:13 PM – Venice: view from Piazzetta di San
Marco of the west and south sides of the Palazzo Ducale.
Although the Viking Daily newsletter delivered to our room said passengers didn’t have to be back onboard until 10:30, we caught the shuttle boat back to the ship at 4:30 so we could get ready for the special meal we had reserved at the Chef’s Table restaurant at 6:30.
Retracing the route taken earlier, from the Cornoldi Pier (near St. Mark’s Square) the shuttle boat first crossed the Canale de San Marco (Canal of St. Mark), on the north side of which we had docked, and then headed westward following Canale della Giudecca and Canale di Fusina back to the Venice Cruise Terminal.
Venice: map with surrounding islands (By Bourrichon (atelier graphique), CC
BY-SA 2.0 fr, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=27134503),
with labels added for Venice Cruise Terminal and Piazza San Marco as well as
San Giorgio Maggiore island.
4:44 PM – Venice: view from shuttle boat of north
side of Canale di San Marco with the Palazzo Ducale and the Campanile behind
it.
MT 4:43 PM – Venice: view from shuttle boat of
the Campanile, Basilica, and Palazzo Ducale.
Along the canals on the way back to the Cruise Terminal, we passed several impressive churches along the waterfront.
4:46 PM – Venice: view from shuttle boat of San
Giorgio Maggiore church on south side of Canale di San Marco canal (mild
telephoto 81 mm).
The Benedictine church of San Giorgio Maggiore is across from the
Piazzetta di San Marco on the small island of San Giorgio Maggiore at the
entrance to the Venetian harbor. The church and monastery constructed in
1559-80 are among the greatest architectural achievements of Andrea Palladio (1508-80).
It broke from the prevailing Gothic style, introducing clean simplicity and
harmonious proportions of Classical architecture to Venice and more resembles
an ancient Roman temple than a Christian church. Its temple front is typically
Palladian. It front is of white Istrian marble, chosen to catch the changing
light of the Lagoon. The top of the Campanile affords superb views of the city
and the Lagoon.
3:55 PM – Venice: this photo taken earlier from
Piazzetta di San Marco actually included San Giorgio Maggiore church (see red
circle) on south side of canal.
MT 4:41 PM – Venice: Santa Maria della Salute church
– apse end on north side of Giudecca canal (telephoto 87 mm).
Venice: Santa Maria della
Salute -façade, domes and tower viewed from Grand Canal (By Jakub Hałun - Own
work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=16088942).
The Basilica di Santa Maria della Salute (Basilica of St. Mary of Health) church, simply known as Salute, is a minor basilica located on a narrow finger of land at Punta della Dogana (Point of Customs), the triangular area of Venice where the Grand Canal meets the Giudecca canal. (The point was used for docking and customs as early as the beginning of the 15th century.)
The Salute is the most recent of
the so-called plague churches. In 1630, Venice experienced an unusually
devastating outbreak of the plague. As a votive offering for the city’s
deliverance from the pestilence, the Senate of Republic of Venice vowed to
build a church and dedicate it to Our Lady of Health (or of Deliverance,
Italian: Salute). The church was designed in the then fashionable Baroque style
and is one of the best expressions of Venetian Baroque architecture, with attention
to Palladio’s models. Construction began in 1631, to be completed in 1687. The
dome of the church was an important addition to the Venice skyline and soon
became emblematic of the city. In 1921, Pope Benedict XV elevated it to the
status of a minor basilica.
Built on a platform made of 1,000,000*
wooden piles, the Salute was constructed of Istrian (white) white and marmorino
(brick covered with marble dusk). The church is octagonal, with eight facades,
of which the most impressive faces the Grand Canal. The large hemispherical
dome that covers the octagonal central body it topped by a lantern on which
stands a statue of the Virgin Mary, who for many reasons was thought to be the
protector of the Republic. The church extends to the south in the smaller
volume of the presbytery with side apses,
covered in turn by a lower dome and flanked by two picturesque bell towers. The
façade is decorated with figures of St. George, St. Theodore, the Evangelists,
the Prophets, and Judith with the head of Holofernes. The main façade is richly
decorated by statues of the four Evangelists.
* According to Wikipedia and other
Internet sources, it was “1,000,000” or “a million” wooden piles. However,
Fodor’s Italy guidebook says only “100,000 wooden piles.”
4:47 PM – Venice: Le Zitelle church on south side
of Giudecca canal (telephoto 105 mm).
The Le Zitelle, or Chiesa
delle Zitelle (Church of the Zitelle), is officially known as Chiesa di Santa
Maria della Presentazione (Church of St. Mary of the Presentation), It is part
of a former almshouse complex that gave shelter to young maidens (zitelle
in Italian) who were orphaned and had no dowry and were thus likely to be
forced into prostitution, and taught an honest trade (lace making, for which
they became famous). It is located in the easternmost part of Giudecca island,
across the Canale della Giudecca from the San Marcos area. The original design,
generally attributed to Andrea Palladio, dated to 1579-80, and construction
began in 1586. Its complex surrounds the church in horseshoe shape. The façade has
two orders (the lower with two small windows flanking a door and the upper with
large semicircular opening) surmounted by a tympanum and flanked by two bell
towers. The church has a large dome with a lantern resting on heavy Corinthian
columns that were part of 18th-century alterations. The former almshouse was
recently converted into a luxury hotel.
4:49 PM – Venice: Il Redentore church on south side
of Giudecca canal (telephoto 93 mm).
The Chiesa del Santissimo
Redentore (Church of the Most Holy Redeemer), commonly known as Il
Redentore (The Redeemer), is a 16th-century Roman Catholic church located on
the island of Giudecca. It was designed by Andrea Palladio after the Senate of
the Republic of Venice commissioned him to build a votive church to thank God
for deliverance of the city from a major outbreak of the plague in 1575-76. Its
groundbreaking was in 1577, and it was completed in 1594 (after Palladio had
died in 1580). Located on the waterfront of the Canale della Giudecca, it
dominated the skyline of the island. Its prominent position on the canal gave
Palladio the opportunity to design a façade inspired by the Pantheon in Rome
and enhanced by being places on a wide plinth. The dome of the large building
is crowned by a statue of the Redeemer atop a lantern. On the façade, a central
triangular pediment overlies a larger, lower one. The 15 steps required to
reach the church’s entrance are a direct reference to the Temple of Jerusalem. It
has been suggested that there are some Turkish influences in the exterior,
particularly the two campaniles which resemble minarets.
The church was intended for
Capuchin friars, who insisted on a plan according to the model of the
Franciscans (to which the Capuchins are related), and, in accordance with their
rule of poverty, they insisted on avoiding the use of marbles and other
precious materials, preferring bricks and terracotta. However, the façade is of
white marble and is one of the most remarkable examples of the Classical
inspiration that made Palladio famous. Four triangular pediments and a
rectangular attic intersect with each other.
Venice: Il Redentore – façade
(Di Francisco Anzola - Imported from 500px (archived version) by the Archive
Team. (detail page), CC BY 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=71442239).
A grandiose portal from 1688 is dominated by a pediment supported by two other semicolumns. In the intercolumns are statues of St. Mark the Evangelist and St. Francis of Assisi. On the corners just above that are two statues representing St. Lawrence Guistiniani and St. Anthony of Padua. Three more statues placed above the upper pediment depict Faith and two angels.
4:49 PM – Venice: Il Redentore church on south side
of Giudecca canal (telephoto 93 mm).
4:50 PM – Venice: Chiesa de Santa Maria del Rosario
on north side of Giudecca canal (telephoto 93 mm).
The Chiesa de Santa Maria del
Rosario (Church of St. Mary of the Rosary) is commonly known as Chiesa dei
Gesuati (Church of the Jesuates), coming from the religious order, suppressed
in 1668, that had a church and a convent in this area, later purchased by the
Dominicans. The Jesuates, formally called Clerici apostolici Sancti Hieronymi (Apostolic
Clerics of St. Jerome), had no connection with the Jesuits (i Gesuiti), whose
church is in the north of Venice. In 1432 (some say 1493), the Jesuates had begun
construction of the nearby small church of Santa Maria della Visitazione (St.
Mary of the Visitation), which was then called San Girolamo (St. Jerome), and
an adjacent convent. In 1699, the property was put up for auction and acquired
by the Dominicans. The small church of the Visitation was not large enough for
them, and by 1720 they decided to build a new church, larger and of more
architectural significance, with the economic help of the whole city. Construction
of the new church began in 1726, and it was consecrated was in 1743 although
work was not completed until 1755. The present church appears much as it did
then. The architecture is in Classical style, influenced by Palladio, whose two
churches San Giorgio Maggiore and Il Redentore were within sight of the new
church.
Venice: Chiesa de Santa Maria
del Rosario – façade, one bell tower, and lantern of dome, with Zattere ferry
boat pier on right (Di Alex Alishevskikh - Santa Maria del Rosario, CC BY-SA
2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=69627872).
The Classical façade, derived from the central portion of San Giorgio Maggiore, is divided into three parts by semi-columns with composite capitals and terminated by composite pillars on the wings. In the large crowning tympanum, is an oval eye surmounted by a scallop shell of St. James. On the lateral columns, inside niches and supported by shelves, are statues of the Four Cardinal Virtues: Prudence and Justice above, and fortitude and Temperance below, separated by a Greek frieze. In the center, above the curved tympanum of the main portal, is a large dedicatory plaque dedicated to St. Mary of the Rosary. It was necessary to drive 270 piles into the soil in order to support the weight of the façade.
On the apse end, away from the
canal, are two short spire-shaped bell towers and a dome with a lantern.
MT 4:45 PM – Venice: another stone bridge over a
minor canal off the Giudecca canal (telephoto 101 mm).
4:58 PM – Venice: Viking Star docked at Venice
Cruise Port (telephoto 119 mm).
4:58 PM – Venice: Viking Star docked at Venice
Cruise Port (vertical) (telephoto 119 mm).
MT 6:35 PM – Venice: dinner menu for Chef’s Table
on Viking Star.
When we got back to our stateroom after dinner, we found a letter that said we had missed the mandatory Guest Emergency Drill at 4:30 and needed to attend a make-up briefing at 8 pm. We were a few minutes late, but they showed the same safety video we had already seen on the TV in our room, and we got credit for attending. We had also missed the Port Talk for Koper, Slovenia, scheduled for 6:30 pm.
Around 11 pm, the ship would set sail for out next stop in Koper, Slovenia (66 nautical miles).
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