Bienvenuti à Venizia

Sundried Tomatoes

On our first day in Venice we wandered through a maze of winding alleys with no particular goal but to get a sense of Venetian culture.  We found, to my great delight, a vast fish market that was joined with an even more extensive fresh produce market.  Mounds of sundried tomatoes (four different types), grapes the size of the first joint of my thumb, various fruits, figs, peperinos (small peppers), and squashes spilled from rows of tables.  It seems that Venice, once the capital of an empire of traders, is still an affluent town of merchants. 

I am in love.  Not with guy, but with the culture of food adoration in Italy.  Every other store in Venice seemed to be a bakery or pasta venue.  And I have never seen so much pizza!  Pizza laden with mushrooms (like porcini and other “gourmet” varieties) onions, tomatoes and a dazzling variety of cheeses is the norm.  Even plain cheese pizzas taste interesting and new.  I would be happy eating pizza, especially with the ultra-thin crust, for every meal of the day.  Everyone we saw eating was having fun with their food—tourists and locals alike.  For once I am not alone in my quest for excellent, new food. 

The Grand Canal

There are some areas of Venice, like the Rialto Bridge that are literally swarming with tourists.  There is no room to maneuver and each sudden step catapults you into someone else’s face.  There is no personal space.  In the streets away from the famous sights, the city becomes comfortably empty.  We saw other people, but they were either Venetians or a more interesting, adventurous brand of tourist. 

Venice looks exactly like it does in movies and postcards.  14^th century buildings line the canals and are reflected in the water.  Reflections are broken by a gondola’s paddle stroke, sending ripples to the base of the bridges.  Beneath the surface of the picturesque city, however, environmental and municipal problems abound.  Garbage bobs along the edges of the canals and drifts in little eddies.  The water in the canals is a murky muddy colour that obscures half submerged steps. 

Bobbing for Garbage

As we have all heard, Venice is submerging at a faster rate today than in previous eras.  However, I had thought that the increased rate of sinking was due mainly to climate change.  Though climate change is a contributor, tourism seems to be the catalyst for this particular problem.  We learned that about 15 years ago, the channel in front St. Marco’s square was extensively dredged to enable cruise ships to sail past the square to give their tourists the famous view.  This dredging is apparently the main cause of Venice sinking—is

Finally, a Picture of My Parents Together

lands are eroding to fill in the deepened channel.  The local Venetian government did not make this decision; rather, a higher official in the tourism industry made the executive choice—quietly though, because money was involved.  

On our second day in Venice, we met my grandparents as they were coming off their cruise of the Mediterranean.  We have been looking forward to this section of the trip, but alas, we will only be traveling with my grandparents for a week.  The six of us will be staying in a 15^th century-partially-restored-villa in a borgo (hamlet) from where we will explore the rest of Tuscany and Umbria together.