If it's lucite, we must be in Napoli.  Sailing the canals of Venice....

Part 3 - Venezia

Venetian ships once ruled the Mediterranean and brought home all kinds of loot to
decorate the cathedrals and palaces of Venice. These horses were taken from Constantinople during the Crusades and placed on top of St. Mark's Baslica. These
are copies. The originals are now inside St Marks.

The Doge's Palace is a popular draw in Venice. Doges were the ceromonial heads of state back then. The palace is a knockout. The Doges lived here, but also in the palace were courtrooms used for trials and Inquisitions. The condemned were walked across the Ponte dei Sospiri, or Bridge of Sighs, where they could get one last look at daylight before going into the dungeons below.  Today, we tourists get to cross that bridge and wander thru the jail cells. Still, if you swing  the ancient doors or work the rusted latches, the screech of metal is still scary Well, no sighs for me. I found my Venetian domes..

Gondolas! More romance? One scene I'll not forget soon had a string of six boats
carrying a Japanese tour group. The last gondola carried a guitar player strumming Herb
Alpert's This Guy's in Love. He was singing well and the women were all smiles, but
the men all looked pretty glum. They were probably counting what was left of their
yen. At $120/hour these gondola guys do well. Too expensive for me!. Take a Traghetti.
It's a boat that just crosses the canal and costs a buck or so. Better yet, buy a dome.
These were only $2.40 US from a street vendor.
   

Gondola crusing in San Marco square, which is possible when it floods.	Gondola in the canal, where it belongs, passing by the Rialto Bridge.

When you get to Venice, take the Vaparetto commuter boat around the Grand Canal at night. No crowds and you see a completely different view. . Here's the Rialto Bridge again.

More Domes from Italy...... Back to Roma

Rev 1.1 June 26, 1999

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