3 Solid Reasons To Not Visit Venice — The City of Water
Venice About To Drown? From Weird Laws to Not Feeding Pigeons To Spookiest Spots.
If you’re like me and love to travel, then I’m sure you already have Venice on your list. It’s a city filled with different aromas and helps a person get intimate with their own feelings. It is the city of love.
The main area of Venice has no cars and traffic in general. It’s a city filled with winding pavements and beautiful canals. The winding paths, and the layout of the city, are straight out of a fairy tale.
A candle-light dinner consisting of authentic Italian cuisine and fine red wines, that’s been brewed and aged for a long time. All that under the starry sky will definitely help you get closer to your significant other, or for those of us who like to travel, it helps to connect with our inner self. The calm and beauty, of the scenario, are almost other-worldly.
Was A Source Of Fight For Byzantines
Before becoming the beautiful tourist attraction that it is today, Venice had a rocky start. The eye-catching city that we see today, was built by a lot of diverse communities; initially, it was home to salt workers and fishers.
However, with the decline of the Roman Empire, they began to take refugees from the mainland. Venice elected its first duke in 717, but it was never smooth sailing. After electing the duke, there began political strife between the Byzantine and Anti Byzantine groups.
The duke of the time then made an alliance with the Franks and banished the Byzantines from Venice. Political stability lead to trade flourishing and, inhabitants from all over the world started living in Venice. This diversity can also be seen in the architecture that still exists to this date.
Is Venice an Island?
A lot of people think that, Venice was built out of the water, or that It’s just one big island. While the latter is partially correct, you will be surprised to know that it is in fact built upon 116 islands, all interlinked via canals and bridges. It resides over the Venetian Lagoon, and a couple of the islands are man-made as well.
How did construction start?
Since Venice consists of 116 small islands, most of the ground is soft sand, and it’s very difficult to create buildings upon it. This presented a challenge for Venetian architects; however, need is the mother of invention.
Venetians came up with a method, which allowed them to build on this soft ground. They would, use long wooden poles 16–20 ft long, and drive them into the sea bed, to create a foundation for the structures that they were to build. With the foundation laid down, they would simply add more poles to alleviate the pressure and erect the building.
History of Quarantine
The word Quarantine gained popularity in 2020; however, it was discovered first by the Venetians. When trade began they realized that foreigners could bring new diseases, and as such, they quarantined them on an isolated island, and if someone else came in contact with them, they would be put into quarantine as well. All of this helped to sustain Venice from many deadly diseases brought by sailors and traders.
Vetro Veneziano
Venetian glass is deemed by many to be one of the finest glasses available. This glass is made on the island of Murano. In the early 1500s, when trade blossomed, Venetian glass was high in demand. Its craftsmanship is considered to be top-notch, and the glass is also very strong.
The ability to make this was high in demand and craftsmen were paid a handsome amount for their services, and they often got titles, while prestige followed them around.
Spooky Places Makes Venice A Reconsidered Choice?
1- The Ca’dario Mysteries
A city as old and diverse as Venice is sure to have a few haunted areas, to help you get your kick of mystery and thrill. The Pallazi, is built upon an old Templar grave site.
Apart from being built on top of a graveyard (as if that wasn’t scary enough), the building has seen its fair share of deaths, and suicides during the course of history. It was home to Giovanni Dario, but shortly after he moved into the building, he lost all his money and was mysteriously stabbed to death. His wife went crazy and killed herself by jumping into the canal. A few years later, their son was also killed.
There was peace for a couple of centuries, and soon people began to forget about the legend, but that’s when the killings began again. An American Millionaire and an Italian Businessman died there, along with a lot of other people..
2- Poveglia Island
Poveglia Island is also known as the island of no return. During the 1900s, this island was used as a dumping ground, for people who contracted the plague, dead or alive. Afterward, it was used as a mental asylum, where human experiments and torture used to take place.
It is said that 160,000 people died on that island, and the souls of the dead, pushed the torturer off a tower. Talk about a dark history.
3- Feeding the Pigeons
The city is home to an estimated 40000 pigeons. While traveling; it is very important to know the laws and customs of the place that you are visiting. As tempting as feeding pigeons in a city square sounds, it is illegal in Venice; and if you don’t want to be fined, it’s best to avoid this.
Yet, The Ultimate Tourist Destination?
Venice is considered by many to be the ultimate tourist destination. Its winding canals and paths are filled with the aroma of love. Apart from the tales related to these places, mobility is an issue. To add, the cost of the metros, gondolas, and water buses is higher than in the rest of Europe. If you’re traveling on a budget, it won’t be wise to have it on the list.
Sadly, the city of Venice is sinking slowly, at the rate of 1–2 millimeters per year, causing people to abandon the beautiful city. The city is a miracle that everyone should witness and the best time is now.
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