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Regard for Venice
REGARD FOR VENICE
Scala Contarini del Bovolo
ph. Giorgio Bombieri - Comune di Venezia
RESPECTING, REGARDING, ADMIRING VENICE AGAIN AND AGAIN, THROUGH NEW VIEWS, EVER DIFFERENT PERSPECTIVES
Venice is filled with wonders, from its best museums - from Doge's Palace, to the Peggy Guggenheim Collection, to new additions like Museo Della Musica - to its most hidden alleys. Just let yourself be guided, nose upwards, by the silhouette of palaces and churches, to find you among quiet canals, tiny 'campielli' where children play, secret gardens and artisan shops full of history.
Lesser-known sites and symbols of the city, to be observed and discovered again and again, from different angles: a gondola on the water, in the heart of a squero, a view from above. You can row along the canals and immerse yourself in the colours, sounds and scents of Venetian daily life; from above, you will see the immense artistic and architectural wealth of the city, a city that is alive and productive in the ateliers and artisan shops that criss-cross its urban fabric; here you will meet the master Venetian craftsmen, custodians of the thousand-year history of the Serenissima - the squerarioli, for example, creators of the traditional wooden boats of the lagoon.
How can we keep all this beauty intact? By first of all taking care of the natural environment and the artistic and architectural heritage of Venice, a UNESCO World Heritage site: each of us can do our part even with a few simple behaviours such as not abandoning rubbish, not defacing monuments with writing, drawings or padlocks, not feeding the pigeons.
San Boldo
ph. @marino.gobita via Instagram
FROM THE WATER, ROWING ALONG CANALS
Exploring Venice from the water is perhaps the best way to see even its most hidden gems. For those seeking an unusual perspective, a gondola or sandolo ride along the Grand Canal and through the maze of inner canals is a must. A private tour, on request, also delves into the most secret and quiet canals, where you can admire the characteristic water gates of the palaces and small courtyards accessible only from the water.
Discovering the lagoon by rowing (or even sailing or with low-impact hybrid boats) is ecological - because you don't consume fuel and you don't pollute; it is sustainable - because rowing instead of using a motor does not stir up sediment and does not produce the wave motion that damages shores and monuments in the city and salt marshes in the lagoon - and it is an authentic way to feel part of this city.
Basilica della Salute
ph. @zara_venice_guide via Instagram
FROM THE TOP OF TERRACES AND BELL TOWERS
The most breathtaking views of Venice can be grasped from the top of the bell tower of the Abbey of San Giorgio on the island of San Giorgio Maggiore, or from that of the Basilica of Santa Maria Assunta on the island of Torcello, but also from the Scala Contarini del Bovolo or from the dome of the Basilica della Salute.
The highest terrace in the city is that of Palazzo Pisani, home of the Benedetto Marcello Music Conservatory in Venice.
Guided tours open the doors of the palace to the public, a unique opportunity to explore its hidden treasures, such as the small Museum of Music, where ancient musical instruments and some curious Wagnerian relics are preserved.
Maestro squerariolo (ship carpenter)
ph. Comune di Venezia
INSIDE THE SQUERI, WHERE THE ART OF BUILDING GONDOLAS WAS BORN
Barca xe casa, (the boat is home) has been said for centuries in Venice. And it is easy to guess why: this is a city that was built to be travelled by water.
Today, the link with the water is kept alive mainly by the craftsmen who restore and build the rowing or sailing boats of the lagoon. The tradition of the 'squeri da sotil', the small shipyards where expert carpenters manufacture and repair wooden boats, is as old as Venice itself, and everything is still - or almost - as it once was, from the squero at San Trovaso to the Domenico Tramontin & Figli's Squero, from the Squero Casal ai Servi (now the headquarters of the Arzanà association) to the squero at San Isepo.
Today the traditional squeri are a heritage of history, knowledge and know-how to be protected and preserved.
