October 2021
A week after returning from my trip to Puglia, I was drawn to Italy again, this time to Venice for five days to visit a colleague.
Venice is a unique city thanks to its history and location. The city is spread over more than 100 islands in the Venice lagoon. Until the 16th century, Venice maintained the most merchant and warships. The city dominated a colonial territory that at times extended from northern Italy to Cyprus. Most of the trade between Western Europe and the Eastern Mediterranean was conducted through Venice, which helped the city gain enormous wealth. As a result, Venice was also an important financial center.
Since 1987 Venice and the lagoon are a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Table of Contents
St. Mark’s Square – Piazza San Marco
with the famous 98 meters high tower Campanile di San Marco, which the Venetians once built as a lighthouse
View from Campanile di San Marco
City views
Venice gondolas
Arsenale di Venezia
The entrance gate to the shipyard and armories. This is where the ships were built that established Venice’s naval power.
Rialto Bridge
The Rialto Bridge was the only bridge over the Grand Canal until the 19th century.
View from the Rialto Bridge
Night scenes
Gallerie dell’Accademia
Gallerie dell’Accademia was the art academy of Venice and is now a museum. I was particularly impressed by the magnificent ceilings.
The Doge’s Palace – Palazzo Ducale
The Doge’s Palace has been the seat of the Doge (the head of the Republic) and the governmental and judicial bodies since the 9th century.
The letterbox of complaints to the government called Bocca de Leone (Lion’s Mouth).
View from Doge’s Palace
In the lower part of the palace were the prison cells
The Scala dei Giganti (Staircase of the Giants)
It takes its name from the two Roman gods Mars (god of war) and Neptune (god of the sea), symbolizing military strength on land and sea.
Works of glassblowers from the island of Murano
The Murano archipelago in the Venice lagoon has been producing glass since the 13th century and has been known for the highest quality glass art since the Middle Ages. Because glassworks were always catching fire, glassworks were only allowed on Murano to protect the main islands of Venice.
In the shop windows I could admire wonderful glass sculptures.
Venice with its many canals, historic buildings, museums and gondolas is indeed a unique city.
After returning to Switzerland, I had 10 days to prepare for the winter trip 2021/22. My first destination was Mexico.