Venice is a romantic city built on water. Venice: a city on the water On which sea does Venice stand

A city on the water, a canal city, a fairy tale city, a city of love, a city of inspiration - all this is Venice. A city slowly sinking in the northeast. Venice causes love at first sight, but not from the first breath. The aromas that you will enjoy even when crossing the body of water on the way to the city will remind you of sauerkraut, seaweed or just moisture to the heartache - it depends on your associations and on what season you got here.

Unexpected bans

This city of 118 islands is truly picturesque: streets interspersed with canals, locals mingle with tourists, pigeons in the famous St. Mark's Square peck forbidden food (however you want, these birds are forbidden to feed). By the way, pigeons are not alone: ​​picnics on this square are also prohibited for tourists. Unexpected bans should also include the ban on sitting in places not intended for this. For example, in the beloved St. Mark's Square, you can stretch your legs only in places specially designated for recreation.

You can also get a fine for swimming in the Venetian canals. Even if among the 150 available channels you find a relatively deserted one (which is a rather difficult task), it's not worth the risk.

Grand Canal

The most famous canal is the Grand Canal. The name says it all: this channel is really great. Passing through the whole city (the length is 3.8 km), it seems to take those tourists who arrived at the Santa Lucia station to a parallel world: the contrast between the outskirts of Venice and the city center is so great.

Venice - the city of gondoliers

You will meet cars and buses in only one section of the city - Piazzale Roma - Piazzale Roma. So if you are enjoying a car tour of colorful Italy, be prepared to leave your car here and don't worry, you won't need it. This city was created either for hiking or for gondola rides. Ideally - for their combination.

In total, there are about 500 gondolas in the city - this can not be compared with what it was before. Just a few hundred years ago, the number of these impressive boats reached 10,000. Of course, now gondolas are more of a tourist than a necessary means of transport. The gondola can be rented for 40 minutes. If you are planning to explore Venice in the company of a jolly gondolier, you will have to pay at least 80 euros. Thrifty travelers can breathe easy: there is enough space in the gondola for 6 people, among whom you can split the amount. This option is unlikely to please someone who travels with his soul mate. For kisses under the bridges of Venice (and this is one of the must-have items for couples), outsiders are not needed.

It can be considered interesting that throughout the history of this city only men, who were the indigenous inhabitants of Venice, could drive the gondola. And only in 2010, a woman Georgia Boscolo joined them, whose love for gondolas was inherited from her father.

A single ticket (from 21.50 euros, www.venicecard.it) can be purchased for one, three or seven days. It provides access to public transport and free access to state museums and important churches.

Where to stay

Even despite the large influx of tourists, finding accommodation in Venice will not be difficult. It is easy to find hotels of any star rating, as well as budget options - hostels.

In order to spend as little time as possible on the road to the sights, it is advisable to choose establishments located in the center. For example, the hotel A La Commedia, located a ten minute walk from Piazza San Marco, offers cozy rooms equipped with everything you need for a comfortable stay. The price per room ranges from 400 euros per day. In the immediate vicinity of the Doge's Palace, there is a four-star hotel Palazzetto Pisani, popular with tourists. It offers rooms with views of the Grand Canal, and some apartments have a balcony.

The mid-range hotel Domina Home Giudecca, located on the island of Giudecca, has also earned positive reviews from guests. Guests are offered rooms with canal views, and the buffet included in the room rate will save on food. Piazza San Marco is served by regular public transport services.

Travelers who have gone to Italy with a small amount of money can stay in hostels. There are a lot of similar hotels in Venice, and in most cases they are located in ordinary apartments, well-furnished accordingly. By choosing this option, tourists can count on new interesting acquaintances and a cheerful company of people from different parts of the world. For example, A Venice Fish is located in the heart of the city in the Cannaregio area. Spacious rooms with bunk beds, shared bathrooms and toilets, a free kitchen - all this, as well as evening feasts with pasta and wine to the sound of a guitar, can be obtained for only 20 euros per day.

Special offers for hotels

Road to Venice

Since the city is located on the islands, in order to get to the historical center, tourists will have to make several transfers, no matter which mode of transport is chosen. The most convenient option is air travel. So, from Moscow there are direct flights from Domodedovo and Sheremetyevo to the city of Tessera (Marco Polo airport) on Fridays and Saturdays, respectively. The road will take only three hours, and an early departure will allow you to be in Italy by noon.

In addition, you can choose a flight to Milan (from Vnukovo to Malpensa on Fridays and Saturdays or from Sheremetyevo on Fridays) or Rome (from Domodedo to Fiumicino on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays). Venice itself can be reached by train or train. Transport runs regularly and almost without delay. Considering that the carriages are in most cases equipped with seats, it is better not to choose night flights. The arrival station is called "Santa Lucia".

There are regular bus services from Marco Polo Airport to Venice. In just half an hour, ATVO and ACTV routes will take vacationers to Piazzale Roma (Piazzale Roma, Piazzale Roma). You can get to the railway station by bus number 15. A ticket costs an average of 5-6 euros.

River buses and taxis also run from the airport. The fare is more expensive than the bus, but along the way you can enjoy views of the canals and key tourist sites in the city. This type of transport is suitable for those who are not tired on the way and are ready to spend more than an hour on the road.

Travelers who do not want to wait for public transport can order a taxi, but this option will be the most expensive.

“She is so beautiful that you understand: you are not able to find anything in your life that would compare with this beauty.” This is how I. Brodsky wrote about Venice, and everyone who, making travel in Italy visited this unique city.

Venice was formed as a settlement in the 5th-6th centuries AD. The endless raids of the barbarian tribes forced the Veneti, who lived on the mainland, to move to the lagoon. They inhabited numerous islands, making them impregnable fortresses for enemies.These islands were not entirely suitable for life due to regular flooding. The future Venetians found a way out: they drove piles of alpine larch into the marshy soil, which practically does not rot in water. The first houses were built on these piles. That's how it came into being Venice - a city on the water, due to its geographical position, became the largest trading hub and the capital of a prosperous republic that existed for almost a millennium.

The Venetians were businesslike and very practical people. Being formally under the rule of Byzantium, they skillfully maneuvered between their neighbors, using the rapidly changing political situation in their own interests. And the cunning Venetian merchants completely turned the Crusades into a profitable commercial enterprise.The crusader knights had nothing in their souls but fanaticism and heart-warming indulgences. The cunning Venetians gave them loans and provided their ships, receiving in return a third of their trophies.

Over time, after the opening of new trade routes, and also because of the growing power of the Turks, the Most Serene Republic of Venice lost its former greatness. Periodically, she passed from hand to hand and in 1866 joined Italy.

Now it is the most popular tourist destination, because sights of Venice annually examined by about 7 million travelers. The historical center of the city is located on 118 islands, separated by 150 canals, through which about four hundred bridges are thrown.

The main architectural ensemble of Venice is St. Mark's Square, where the cathedral of the same name is located. Evangelist Mark is the heavenly patron of the city, and he was chosen by the Venetians themselves (the Byzantine emperor offered them St. Theodore, but this proposal was rejected).

During the sack of Alexandria in 828, Venetian merchants took the relics of St. Mark, hiding them from Muslim customs officers under pig carcasses. Four years later, the Basilica of St. Mark, where they began to store his relics.

Later this temple became the cathedral of Venice. Over the years, it has been rebuilt several times, and its architectural style is difficult to determine. This is a Byzantine church with Gothic turrets and arrows, its facade is decorated with mosaics and statues of saints. On the loggia of the cathedral there is a quadriga of St. Mark taken out after the sack of Constantinople in the 4th Crusade. True, in 1982 it was replaced with a copy, and the original was placed in the basilica museum.

The bell tower at the cathedral is a separate building almost 100 m high. Initially, in its place there was a watchtower, which simultaneously served as a beacon for ships in the lagoon. In 1514, a campanile was built here, consisting of a brick shaft, a bell tower and an observation platform. During the Dark Ages, the mine was used as a torture chamber.

In 1902, the campaign of St. The brand was completely destroyed due to the general wear and tear of the building, as well as due to an earthquake and a lightning strike. As a result of this collapse, no one, except for the caretaker's cat, was injured. And after 10 years, the bell tower was restored to its original form and on the day of St. Mark (April 25) solemnly opened.

Next to the cathedral on the square San Marco is the Doge's Palace, the residence of the rulers of Venice. The era of the Doge lasted exactly 1100 years, in 697 this post was taken by Paul Lucius Anafest, and in 1797 Napoleon, who captured Venice, abolished the institution of Doge.

The position was elective and not hereditary. The doge's power was limited: he could not go out alone to people, meet "tête-à-tête" with foreign ambassadors, he did not have the right to own property abroad. Usually, the doge managed to stay in office until his death, the remuneration for work from the head of Venice was small. And in order to compensate for the theft possible for this reason, in 1501 a method was developed for posthumous compensation for damage from the reign of the Doge.

The residence of the ruler of the Most Serene Republic of Venice is a masterpiece of Italian Gothic architecture. built doge's palace more than 100 years old, in 1577 it was partially destroyed by fire. After restoration, it acquired the appearance that has survived to this day.

From the courtyard to the palace you can climb the marble Staircase of the Giants. On its upper platform there are gigantic statues of the sea and military patrons of Venice - Neptune and Mars (hence the name of the stairs). This is where festive ceremonies were held. Doges of Venice married to power.

The Golden Staircase leads to the main halls of the palace; it got its name because of the gilded stucco that adorned it. Only especially important persons, listed in the "Golden Book" of the city, which was kept in a special room under this staircase, could climb it.

The Hall of the Great Council, the largest ceremonial hall of the palace, occupies the entire southern wing. There is the throne of the doge, above it on the wall hangs the canvas of the father and son of Tintoretto "Paradise", which is one of the largest paintings in the world.

The remaining walls of the hall are decorated with portraits of all the doges of Venice, except for Marino Faliero, who was executed for treason. A black scroll hangs in place of his portrait.

In the Hall of the Compass, those accused of high treason awaited their verdict with horror. The Tribunal, headed by the Doge, sat in the Hall of the Council of Ten. After the verdict was announced, the convicts were sent up a secret staircase to the top floor in the lead cells of the Old Prison. The path of the prisoners to the new prison lay through the Palace Canal along the Bridge of Sighs, from where they could look at their city for the last time.

In the Halls of the College and the Senate, important state affairs were decided, official ceremonies were held in the Scarlatti Hall, and the richest collection of geographical maps was kept in the Map Hall.

On the eastern facade of the Doge's Palace there is a balcony from which in 1866 the accession of Venice to the Kingdom of Italy was announced.

The canals of Venice are the transport arteries of the city. The most famous of them is the Grand Canal, its length is about 4 km, its width is from 30 to 70 m. It has no embankments, their role is played by the facades of houses, in which one exit leads to land, the second to water.

There are more than a hundred palaces on the banks of the Grand Canal. The most beautiful buildings of the city are located here. Therefore, the Venetians proudly call it Canalazzo (Canal Palace).

In the island part of the city, the only mode of transport is water. These are river trams (vaporetto), ferries, boats. And of course the famous gondolas, they are proud of Venice, photo these boats are in the album of every tourist who has visited these fabulous places.

Previously, gondolas were the main means of transporting the Venetians around the city, now tourists ride them. These six-seater boats are driven by gondoliers - a special caste of the inhabitants of the "pearl of the Adriatic". Their number is strictly limited: 425 people have licenses, these are local residents, in the vast majority, hereditary gondoliers. These guys in striped sweaters and straw hats with a ribbon are real artists and a storm of lonely rich foreigners. They drive their black boats phenomenally, sing beautifully (for a fee) Neapolitan songs for some reason, are very sociable and friendly.

Such a seemingly carefree life of a beautiful city may soon end: Venice is slowly sinking into the water and, according to scientists, in 2028 may become uninhabitable. If the city is not put on a "major overhaul", then only the unique Venice, reviews about it will excite the minds of generations who will never be able to see it with their own eyes.

Venice is a city that everyone should visit. Venice is a city where a boat, a gondola, a boat is not a luxury, but a means of transportation. Venice is a city where Casanova once persuaded Venetians to unbridled passion and love adventures. Venice is a city with its own unique history…

In this news, I would like to show Venice through the lens of a LiveJournal user rawpic.

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2. Venice is probably known to many thanks to this particular view. View of the Grand Canal from the Rialto Bridge.

3. And this is the Rialto Bridge in person.

4. Tourists use river buses to navigate the city. Moving on them is paid, but built on the basis of honest Europeans who are afraid of these alluring words: "Hare" and "Freebie". I confess, when we were already returning late in the evening from Piazza San Marco to the bus stations, we did not have a ticket for the return trip. And we didn’t find working cash desks at the bus stop, everything was closed. We were lucky, a group of controllers, who pulled out potential violators from the crowd at the terminal station, did not pay attention to us.

7. This is what a Venetian "bus" stop looks like

8. Trams are trams, but gondolas are the true means of transport in Venice.

9. And they manage gondolas ... that's right - gondoliers

10. They (the gondoliers) are the Venetian elite. They can be compared to, say, the Swiss Guards from the Vatican. It is an honor to be a gondolier, and the desire to become one is not enough. This right is inherited. And so far, the number of licenses for the right to drive a gondola and provide services is limited to 425 units. Our gondolier, in addition to being elite 🙂, also had an iphone 3G.

11. Venice also has its own "road" signs. The metal "tip" on the bow of the boat helps the gondolier assess the chance to swim under the next bridge, of which there are hundreds in Venice.

13. And when driving along such narrow streets, with closed turns, they use a signal issued by their own voice. It turns out something like the Tyrolean "Ori-ori-ui".

15. To whom is the gondola, and to whom is the home. Here you can sleep.

16. While the gondolier is sleeping, we can look at the main charms of the gondola.

19. Parking lots.

26. Each gondolier aims to stand out from the other. Someone lays embroidered carpets, someone decorates with candlesticks, someone with flowers.

27. This is how particularly sophisticated experiments on the gondola end.

28. If you have more requests, you can sail to Venice on your own watercraft, ranging from sailing yachts to huge liners and ferries.

36. A tugboat pulls a ferry across the Gulf of Venice, in the background there is a view of the Doge's Palace, the bell tower of San Marco, the domes of the Cathedral of San Marco.

37. When traveling around Europe by car, it should be borne in mind that if your car is not an amphibian, then the ferry is the only way to move around the island of Venice. The car can only be left in a nearby parking lot, not far from the Venetian railway station. There are no roads in the city.

38. Naturally, to keep track of all this transport, you need your own water police. Here we did not have the opportunity to communicate with the keepers of the water order, but on Lake Garda our guide was stopped. This is of course another story and more on that in future stories. In the background is the bell tower, popularly referred to as the "Venetian Leaning Tower of Pisa".

39. Entering the Grand Canal from the side of the bay.

40. Basilica of Santa Maria della Salute.

41. View from the bay to the Straw Bridge, passing through the palace canal A, a little deeper and higher, you can see the "Bridge of Sighs" - along it, from the courtroom in the Doge's Palace, the convicts went to prison. It was there, standing on the Straw Bridge, that relatives could forgive the prisoner for the last time. During the "high season" (July-August), there are a lot of people in Venice. Sometimes it seems that all these architectural sculptures will not survive.

43. View from the bay to the Cathedral of San Marco, the Doge's Palace.

44. Access to the bay from Piazza San Marco and the Doge's Palace.

45. Parking lot of gondolas at Piazza San Marco.

46. ​​Piazza San Marco, you will watch "Casino Royale" pay attention, it was there that some events took place closer to the end of the film.

47. Central entrance to the Cathedral of San Marco. It was not possible to visit inside it, but it is worth noting that if you want to do this, you will have to leave your things in a special storage room. No phones, no cameras, no bags, backpacks are allowed inside.

48. View of the Cathedral of San Marco and the Doge's Palace from the bell tower.

When pronouncing the phrase "city on the water" Venice immediately comes to mind. The architecture, rich history and romance of this place have turned this Italian water attraction into a real treasure for tourists. However, there are still many cities in the world that stand on the water. In this issue, we will talk about ten of the most popular of them.

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1. Amsterdam, Netherlands

Amsterdam is a multinational, vibrant and very civilized city. If you spend a weekend or vacation here, you will get everything you want: boat trips on numerous channels, private parties on yachts, visits to museums with unique works of art, vibrant nightlife, friendly people, restaurants and bars for all tastes.

2. Hamburg, Germany

The second largest city in Germany and the seventh in the European Union. There are more than 2 million inhabitants, and the port of Hamburg is the 20th largest in the world. It is also called the city of bridges. This is a great holiday destination to enjoy the elegant German architecture. In addition, it is one of the cities with the highest standard of living in Europe.

3. Suzhou, China

Suzhou is called the Venice of China. This ancient city is located in Jiangsu province, near Shanghai. The old districts are crossed by numerous canals and buildings, although everything here is located quite differently from Venice. However, the local canals and architecture are just as old and beautiful. The Suzhou Grand Canal is the widest "street" that crosses the city's most important landmarks.

4. Udaipur, India

Most honeymooners in India go on a romantic trip to Udaipur. This amazingly beautiful city is located between four lakes and is rich in ancient temples and sights associated with oriental myths. Locals call the city the Venice of the East, and the most popular area among tourists is the Palace on the Lake.

5. Giethoorn, Netherlands

The Netherlands is crossed by a network of waterways, but some of the most beautiful are in the east of the country, in the city of Giethoorn. Here, tourists can stroll through fabulous places with wooden bridges and traditional-style houses. But the best part is that there are absolutely no cars in the city, people here only ride bicycles or boats.

6. Alleppey, India

Alleppey is a famous Indian canal town in the southern state of Kerala. Tourists here can rent wooden boats transformed into houses and discover the beauty of this amazing place. The length of all the channels of Kerala in the southwestern part of India is more than 1400 km.

7. Bangkok, Thailand

In the capital of Thailand, water channels are called klonguri and are used instead of roads every day. On these "floating taxis" you can get to almost anywhere in the city, enjoying the sights along the way and at the same time avoiding traffic jams.

8. St. Petersburg, Russia

St. Petersburg "spread its wings" on the Neva River at its confluence with the Gulf of Finland of the Baltic Sea. This huge city with more than 5 million inhabitants is included in the list of UNESCO World Heritage Sites. The city was built at the cost of the lives of tens of thousands of Russian peasants. Winters here are cold and dank, but it is in winter that the city is especially beautiful. The Hermitage, parks, boats on the Neva, the Kunstkamera, concert halls, streets described by Dostoevsky in books, a unique metro and many other attractions await you in this incredibly beautiful and diverse city.

9. Bruges, Belgium

Bruges is one of the most popular tourist cities in Belgium. This small town rivals Venice in terms of historic preservation, and clean waterways intersect with medieval buildings as a backdrop, making you feel like you've stepped back centuries.

10. Stockholm, Sweden

More than a million people live in the capital of Sweden. It is located on 14 islands and is the 10th most visited city in Europe. Stockholm is known for its beauty, rich architecture, clear waters that give the city its color, and beautiful parks. In December and January, temperatures drop to -5 and 0, but the beauty and grandeur of this city will make you forget about the cold.