Visions of Venice

"It's so easy for me to get caught up in a city like Venice, where everything is just color and gorgeous buildings that are so peaceful. You can roam around and get lost in the labyrinth." - Nanette Lepore

I noticed two things when I stepped off the boat in Venice. For one, there were carnival masks sold everywhere and I knew that my weird self was going to buy one. And secondly, it was quiet. As in there were no vespas speeding past me, no gypsies rattling cups of change, no city buses taking loud turns on the streets. Because that's the thing: the streets are partially water. You can't drive in Venice. If you want to visit a friend on the other side of the island, you either walk or take your boat through the calm canals. Quite a difference to America, or even Florence, where a car is always in eyesight. I can only imagine my hectic family back home, piling into a little boat just to go to the freaking grocery store. I doubt Venetians follow my mom's weekly Stop and Shop stock-up.

As soon as we made it to Venice, we had a private tour of the island. The weather was phenomenal, a perfect combination of sun and light wind. Our guide brought us to St. Mark's Basiclica, or Basilica Cattedrale Patriarcale di San Marco, the city's Roman Catholic church from 1093. It sits at the end of Piazza San Marco, where both locals and tourists gather together near the water. St. Mark's, though surrounded by an abundance of pigeons, was captivating with it's bronze domes and intricately painted mosaics. Next to the church is The Clocktower, which has male two figures on top, one old and young, who ring the bell every hour. These fake figures are meant to represent the passing of time. We watched them ring the bell when the clock hit 11 AM. It was surreal; two men made of bronze alerting the whole city of the time.

In true Venetian fashion, my friends and I decided to take a gondola ride that afternoon. Lord knows if I'll ever be back, so I'd be damned if I didn't grab that experience. Just before we boarded our own gondola, courtesy of a man named Andrew in a classic striped shirt, we noticed a marriage proposal in a gondola near ours! Major points to the guy, on not only the location choice, but for bending down on an unsturdy wooden boat. Once the cheering stopped, we were able to step on our own gondola and were off through the canals. We passed many houses and bridges along the way, all with flowers growing across them and old shutters on the windows. Andrew even pointed out Marco Polo's old home, which is now a private residence. The sun was beginning to set by the time we returned to the dock. We hopped off a little woozily and thanked Andrew for his time. "Ride a gondola in Venice" was officially off the bucket list.

We spent the rest of the day buying souvenirs and walking around. I did indeed purchase a purple, sparkly carnival mask, which I will wear more often than you think. The orange sunset on the island was glowing when we boarded our boat back to the mainland. Our program sponsored a free dinner at our hotel that night and then we fell right to sleep. We had the islands of Murano and Burano to explore the next day.

Under yet another bright sky, we took a ferry to Murano to watch a glass blowing demonstration. We watched a man repeatedly melt glass in a kiln and twist it until the colors swirled together. Right before us, in an admiringly quick pace, he crafted a beautiful bowl and glass horse. Apparently, boys in Murano start blowing glass as young as 10 years old and continue to do so their whole lives. We were then able to walk through the glass factory and buy whatever we wanted. There was everything you can think of; jewelry, lamps, figurines, wine stoppers, chandeliers. All handmade from glass. For those who don't know, Murano is where the glass beads are made for Pandora bracelets. After surveying the whole place, I bought myself a necklace and gifts for family and friends.

When we sailed over to Burano, I immediately knew that it was my favorite part of Venice. Feeling like we were in a Disney movie set, we all took pictures in front of the rainbow colored houses. It was easy to forget that people live in them, until a man walked out behind me and smoked a cigarette. I wanted to say Sorry sir, you just happen to live in the prettiest town I've ever seen. But I'm awkward, so I just walked away. Burano is also known for its lace, so many stores were selling clothes garnished with the pretty handmade material. Women on the island have been stitching lace their entire lives. We had lunch in a cafe near one of the canals and, of course, bought some gelato before heading back on the ferry.

I was fighting to keep my eyes open on the bus ride back to Florence. But I couldn't stop thinking about the green water under our gondola or the clothes drying outside the houses in Burano. Venice may be small and hushed compared to Italy's bigger cities, but it holds a homely charm that the others don't. I hope the Venetians know just how captivating they are to outsiders. I may never live a life that includes taking a boat to the market, but I can admire their relaxed Renaissance style. Venice, or Venezia to be truly correct, is a little dream inside this country. And even though everyone claims that the island is sinking, it'll never sink from my memory.

Ciao a tutti!

Lights out,

Britt