Venice and the Dolomites
September 1 - September 14, 2015
Page Two - Venice continued
Rialto Bridge. The other side of the Bridge was partially
undergoing renovation. Venice has more than 400 bridges for
canal crossings. The original Rialto Bridge was built in 1180
and was a platform supported by boats that were tied together.
It linked the political side of Venice with the economic side,
Riato.
The current structure was built in 1588.
There are shops built into it.
It is midway down the Grand Canal
of Venice.
View from the top of Rialto Bridge. Note the construction workers in the lower right corner
that have to use boats as their base.
A young girl leaving a water fountain that she had just been playing in, near the
Rialto Bridge.
Gondoliers in traditional costume await customers
along the Grand Canal
A small child looking up at his parents
Part of the fish and produce market in an area near Rialto Bridge
A workman on a boat
An elderly Venetian resident
Another woman in costume hoping for a tip
One of the canals.
The city is often threatened by flood tides pushing in from the Adriatic Sea between
autumn and early spring. Six hundred years ago, Venetians protected themselves
from land-based attacks by diverting all the major rivers flowing into the lagoon
and thus preventing sediment from filling the area around the city. This created
an ever-deeper lagoon environment.
In many old houses, the former staircases used
to unload goods are now flooded, rendering the former ground floor uninhabitable.
Studies indicate that the city continues sinking at a relatively slow rate. In May 2003, Prime
Minister Berlusconi started a project for evaluating the performance of hollow floatable gates;
the idea is to fix a series of 78 hollow pontoons to the sea bed across the three entrances
to the lagoon. When tides are predicted to rise above 110 centimeters, the pontoons
will be filled with air, causing them to float and block the incoming water
from the Adriatic Sea. This engineering work is due to be completed
by 2016 but may take longer.
Jeff standing on one of the many bridges over canals.
Jeff standing next to a mask store mannequin.
Pat next to the store's other mannequin that was outside the entrance.
Inside the store, some of the many masks for sale. Souvenir
shops, including mask stores and murano glass stores, are
everywhere. Many masks are patterned after standard characters
of the theater.
Frari Church, built in 1492 by the Franciscan order
Outdoor cafes abound in Venice. Here we await delivery of our lunch near Frari Church.
A Venetian resident that passed by while we were waiting to eat.
A view of another canal from another bridge.
View of the Grand Canal and the Campanile from the Dorsoduro neighborhood
Jeff with the Campanile, the domes of St. Mark's Basilica,
and Doge's Palace behind him.
People relaxing in front of La Salute Church
Beautiful floral arrangements at this small hotel
in the Dorsoduro neighborhood, a less visited
area of Venice.
View of the Grand Canal with La Salute Church in the background,
from the Accademia Bridge, one of the 4 main bridges that crosses
the Grand Canal and a famous landmark in Venice.
We took the public water bus (vaporetto) down the Grand Canal
from St. Mark's Square. This is a view of La Salute Church from
the water bus. It stands near where the Grand Canal opens up into
the lagoon. This white stone church is dedicated to the Virgin Mary.
Continuing on the Grand Canal on the water bus
Ca d'Oro (House of Gold), characteristic Venetian Gothic architecture
San Marcuola vaporetto stop. Our water bus was waiting
for this one to leave.
Near the Santa Lucia train station and the final water bus stop.
San Geremia Church along the Grand Canal as seen while we
were walking back to the St. Mark's Square area after the one way
Grand Canal water bus trip we took.
You can walk all around Venice even though it is a maze.
There are occasional signs on buildings pointing the way to
landmark locations such as St. Mark's Square or Rialto Bridge.
The leaning tower of San Stefano
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