We’ve got the entire morning to explore Venice before we board our cruise ship. We bravely strike out to “see Venice” in the general direction of the Rialto Bridge.
One thing people don’t tell you is that there are no conventional “road signs” on Venetian streets. Occasionally you’ll see a sign that points to the Rialto Bridge or St Marks Square but none of these signs inspire much confidence. Venice is actually composed of 108 separate islands built on pilings driven into the lagoon mud. These islands are linked by hundreds of bridges. The concept of city planning was apparently never considered back in the 5th and 6th Century. Protecting themselves from the marauding Huns was a much bigger concern.
Due to the narrow streets even the GPS on the mighty iPhone 7+ can’t really tell you definitively where you are. The longer you walk the bigger the pale blue circle becomes…… 21st Century electronics are rendered ineffective in this 6th Century city. At a certain point you just need to embrace the fact that you really don’t know where you are….. and that’s OK. You’re on an island. You can’t get TOO lost. Actually, it’s better than OK. It’s pretty darn awesome! You’re wandering Venice far from the crowds and chaos. Drying laundry is hanging out the windows. People are out walking their dogs. Cats are hangin out in the piazza on the old cisterns. You see real Venetians living their life far from the typical tourist destinations. You get to see the “elegant decay” people talk about. It’s like nothing we’ve seen before. Life has a different cadence here.
Eventually we bump into the Grand Canal. And some very interesting art.
Not far from the crazy hands we find the Rialto Bridge. Sadly, we’re not lost anymore.
Up and over the Rialto. If you can believe the signs we are headed to Piazza San Marco…….
The Traveling Hippogators 