Venice: Ghettos, Gold and Galleries

Editor's Pick Award

Our Editors awarded this travel blog entry for providing relevant information that may be useful and inspiring for other travelers.

After breakfast we all headed down to the vaperetto stop together. My friends were going to St Mark’s Square and then the Lido. They were hoping for lunch with Brad Pit or George Clooney. I went in the opposite direction, up the Grand Canal. Ideally I had wanted to catch the No 1 which calls at all the stops along the canal, but I got fed up with waiting and caught the 82 instead. This one is much quicker but misses out many of the stops, including the one I had wanted. I actually ended up at the stop for the railway station. Ordinarily it would have been a really impressive building, but it just didn’t fit in Venice. Thank heavens I got off the boat before I reached the car park that is Plaza Roma!

As I had made it this far I took a few minutes to cross the last of the three bridges that span the Grand Canal. It’s not spectacular, but it would be a shame not to do it. Besides it did give me a great view of the surrounding area. From the railway station I followed the main tourist drag along Rio Terra Lista Spagna. This was a bit of a shock to the system. I kept seeing shops that I recognised and worse still a McDonald’s! When I reached the Canale di Cannaregio I went a little awry. I was looking for a route into the Jewish Ghetto, but miss the tiny entrance. I should have spotted it; it was right next to a kosher butcher’s shop.

The Ghetto is a fascinating place. This is the geographical area that gives us the term ghetto. It was named after a foundry, or geto, that formally stood on the site. Today there is a light airy campo in its centre, where children play football. I rather neatly returned the ball when it strayed in my direction. But this must have been a very different place in centuries past. In the 1500s Jews were confined to this tiny area of the city. During the day they were allowed into the main city, but at night they were physically locked into the Ghetto. This forced the residents to build medieval tower blocks, often seven or eight floors high. Unbelievably the Venetian attitude towards Jewish people was liberal for the time!

On one side of the campo there is a single low wall with a series of bronze plaques on it. This is the holocaust memorial for all those Jewish citizens who were rounded up and sent to the Nazi concentration camps in World War II. As is often the case when confronted with monuments like this, I can’t help feeling a cold shiver run down my spine. Somehow the monument is enhanced by the strands of barbed wire that run along the top of the wall. It’s simple but very effective.

As I wandered through the streets in the Cannaregio district, I’m amazed to find myself in a totally different Venice. Gone are the hordes of milling tourists, this is a forgotten backwater but all the more beautiful for it. I made my way to Campo dei Mori, named after the three Moorish figures that decorate one of the buildings.

From here I could see a magnificent brick built Gothic church. This was the Church di Madonna del’ Orto, named after a statue of the Virgin Mary that was uncovered in a nearby garden (or orto). For a few Euros I spent my time admiring the wonderful paintings inside. The majority of these works were created by a local artist with a workshop just round the corner – Tintoretto. One of the rewards for his efforts was a prime burial plot, but it took me a moment to find it. I was expecting something impressive, but actually there is just a simple carved stone in the floor of one of the chapels.

I spent the next few hours wandering around the streets of the Cannaregio until I finally made it to La Sacca della Misericordia. In any other city this would have been the car park but thankfully Venice only has a marina looking out across the lagoon to Murano.

Eventually it was hunger that drove me back toward the tourist area. It was here I spotted a wonderful bakery that proved irresistible. I bought myself a plain calzone (a folded pizza) and a bottle of water to eat. For those who think Venice has to be expensive, this came to just €4.50! The only problem was finding somewhere to eat it. In the end I dived up the first alleyway I could find and eventually settled on the steps of a small wooden bridge. In one direction I could admire the view of a peaceful canal. In the other I could see the Venetian equivalent of road works. Two temporary metal barriers had been constructed, blocking a stretch of the canal at both ends. The water was then pumped out, presumably so it could be dredged and the buildings on either side repaired.

As I sat enjoying my lunch, a few people passed by. One elderly lady smiled when she saw me and said something in Italian. I may not speak the language but I picked out the word tranquil, so I agreed, it was a very tranquil spot.

Finally I decided it was about time I made my way back towards Saint Mark’s. My plan was to catch a vaporetto from the Ca’ d’Oro stop. After a few false starts I finally found the alleyway that I need to reach the Grand Canal. However I was stopped in my tracks about half way down, when I come across an extraordinary door. It was richly carved and has one tiny little grill in it that just has to be looked through. When I did I found myself peeking into a beautiful courtyard with the most extraordinary mosaic floor. It all proved too much for me, I had to get inside to have a better look!

As luck would have it I had spotted the Ca’ d’Oro that gave the vaporetto stop its name. This is arguably one of the most beautiful palaces that line the Grand Canal. Today it is an art gallery, displaying the collection of its previous occupant, Baron Giorgio Franchetti. He left the building and the collection to the state when he died.

The collections are wonderful, but I must admit I was really only interested in the building. Although cameras were banned inside, you could use them in the courtyard and upstairs on the balconies. Had I not already spotted the courtyard it would have been really easy to miss it. But it was definitely worth taking a look. The walls and floor of the courtyard are highly decorated and remarkably colourful. I just wish I could have climbed up the wonderful external staircase to the next floor.

Upstairs I found myself standing on a wide balcony gazing out across the Grand Canal. It was a stunning view and I wasn’t alone in savouring it. Another lady leant on one of the columns, and stared out the window lost in her own thoughts. She seemed oblivious to everything around her and barely moved the whole time I was there. It wasn’t surprising; the view was breathtaking, even if there was a crane directly opposite. At this point I felt it had been more than worth the entrance fee, but then I discovered another floor and another balcony!

I did finally spend some time admiring the paintings on display. The most surprising collection was the group of works by Flemish artists. It seemed so peculiar to seem them in a city full of great Italian masterpieces.

I never did make it to the vaporetto stop. I walked to the Rialto Bridge as I had seen how close it was from the balcony of the Ca’ d’Oro. It was getting on and I still hadn’t heard from my friends so I sent them a text message to see where they were. In the meantime I decided to head back to the hotel to drop off various bits and bobs and get myself organised. So at the Rialto I literally jumped onto the next vaporetto. There was a huge crowd waiting to get on and I had just reached the front when the boatman tried to close the gate. At this point I discovered the Venetian technique is to make a mad leap onto the apparently full deck. So what the hell I joined them. It was only as we pulled away that I realised this leaping onto an overcrowded boat was probably not the brightest thing to do.

A few minutes after arriving at the hotel I got a message that everyone was making their way to Saint Mark’s Basilica. I wasn’t sure I could make it in time, but caught the next vaporetto back round to the square. When I arrived they had already made it inside, so I joined the queue. I had thought it would take ages, but actually within few minutes I was walking through the doorway, where I discovered D wrapped in several bright orange paper table clothes. These proceeded to slip off as she took a step towards me! Of course she had been wearing all the wrong clothes, showing her shoulders and wearing shorts. She’d been charged 50 cents for the loan of each and the chap had spent ages making sure they were tied just right. Evidently he hadn’t been a boy scout!

Whilst D waited downstairs, I headed up to the Museo Marciano, hot on the heels of my other friends. This easily missed part of the Basilica should be on everyone’s list of must see places. In addition to the various exhibits on display the museum allows you to get a close up to the golden mosaics that cover every part of the building. There is also a balcony that looks out onto the square below. It was here I found the others, sitting on the wall admiring the view.

Back inside I spent a few moments looking at the original bronze horses that used to stand on the balcony. The copies that replace them are wonderful in their own right, but the originals look stunning. They have the green patina of age which picks out the detailing on the surface.

The Basilica was much as I remember it, but seeing the ceiling close up did help me appreciate the decoration more. Last time I just felt the gold was too over powering, an in your face statement of wealth. I still prefer the wonderful mosaics of Ravenna with their rich peacock blues and greens.

Back out in the Square J and A borrowed my guide book so that they could retrace their steps yesterday and find a shop they had seen. I pointed out roughly where I thought it was but had to make a dash for it so that we could catch a final vaporetto with the remains of our tickets. We were heading for the Accademia. We were extremely pleased with ourselves when we made it with only five minutes to spare!

As we passed the Accademia Bridge, hawk eyed R spotted a great café just at its base. We grabbed ourselves canal side seats with a beautiful view of the Santa Maria Della Salute and I finally managed to get a fresh orange juice. It was thick and delicious – even if it was expensive and had some added protein in the shape of a fly. The only drawback this lovely café had was the number of people smoking around us. I tend not to notice it much, but the others found it a real pain. Mind you even I draw the line at the cigar someone lit up behind us.

Eventually we headed off to find the Accademia Gallery – and completely missing it! Luckily this meant we walked as far as the Fondamenta Zattere Ai Gesuati. This pleasant promenade runs alongside the vast Giudecca Canal. We all agreed it was a great find and would be an excellent place for dinner later.

Embarrassingly we discovered that we had actually sat right next to the Accademia earlier. The reason we hadn’t recognised it was because it was totally enveloped by scaffolding and plastic sheeting. Having found it we then had to work out how to get in – a few sign posts would have been useful. Inside is amazing with really wonderful works of art on display. Sadly my poor ankles didn’t appreciate it as much as the rest of me. I was grateful when we finally made it back to the hotel so I could put my feet up for a while.

After a blissful rest, we all met up again and headed off for dinner. We decided to go back to Zattere, taking a slightly different route. Along the way we found a picture perfect gondola workshop. It looked for all the world like a Tyrolean chalet. This isn’t surprising as it was built by immigrants from the Tyrol.

As we reached Zattere we were greeted by a glorious sunset. We all paused to admire the view and looking closer realised that all was not as it seemed. It may look picturesque at sunset but the black shapes in the distance are actually the chimneys from all the factories along the lagoon’s shore. Here we were standing in a truly beautiful city, looking out at a polluted, industrial landscape.

We selected our restaurant with care, choosing the sturdiest pontoon built into the canal. This gave us a fabulous view across the water to the island of Giudecca. Sadly I don’t know much about this part of Venice. I’d like to visit it, but I’m not sure there’ll be time on this trip, still perhaps next time.

Our meal was excellent. I have a chargrilled rare steak with a good helping of D’s grilled vegetables. In fact we ended up fighting over her leftovers in an effort to help her finish them – well the waiter did tell her to eat all her greens! My favourite treat was the artichoke heart. It was soft, succulent and strangely tasted of fish. Suddenly the weather changed and a cold wind whipped across the restaurant. Having finished our main course we decided to cut our losses, pay up and find somewhere warmer! This caused J a great deal of grief as S left an unfinished bottle of wine. She was still in shock by the end of the evening.

We walked back inland towards Campo San Margaretta, the busy square we had visited on our first night. Here we found a quiet bar with a very warm table. There didn’t seem to be many people around, but those that are seem to be very young. Perhaps it’s a student hangout. We ordered a variety of drinks, some alcoholic, some hot and some a mix of both. J and S have Irish coffees and I tried to get an orange coffee made with Cointreau instead. This didn’t work and I ended up with a shot of brandy in an espresso. It may not have been what I wanted but actually it did hit the spot! There followed an eclectic conversation on a variety of topics including Prince Charles verses Princess Diana, Michael Jackson’s guilt or innocence and what we thought of Margaret Thatcher. We did draw the line at Big Brother!

On the way home we finally got well and truly lost. Poor D had spotted the mistake, but no one listened and she didn’t like to push the point. We had made it as far as San Sebastian’s before we finally bit the bullet and looked at a map. Using a torch (we really had thought of everything) I worked out where we were and where we needed to go. Whilst everyone seemed to be trusting my map reading ability I decided it was probably best not to mention the incident in Cuenca (Spain) a few years ago (see my Spanish Panorama journal for all the gory details!