I was one of the only single person boats and this guy was my driver. I liked him. He didn't talk much and just let me enjoy the quiet and the views.
This is a view of the grand canal. It was a very windy day and out in the middle of the canal it was very rough.
This is a view of La Salute Church. Unfortunately it looks like it was undergoing repairs. Generally referred to as "La Salute," this crown jewel of 17th-century baroque architecture proudly reigns at a commercially and aesthetically important point, almost directly across from the Piazza San Marco, where the Grand Canal empties into the lagoon.
The first stone was laid in 1631 after the Senate decided to honor the Virgin Mary of Good Health for delivering Venice from a plague. They accepted the revolutionary plans of a young, relatively unknown architect, Baldassare Longhena (who would go on to design, among other projects, the Ca' Rezzonico). He dedicated the next 50 years of his life to overseeing its progress (he would die 1 year after its inauguration but 5 years before its completion).
The only great baroque monument built in Italy outside of Rome, the octagonal Salute is recognized for its exuberant exterior of volutes, scrolls, and more than 125 statues and rather sober interior, though one highlighted by a small gallery of important works in the sacristy. (You have to pay to enter the sacristy; the entrance is through a small door to the left of the main altar.) A number of ceiling paintings and portraits of the Evangelists and church doctors are all by Titian. On the right wall is Tintoretto's Marriage at Cana, often considered one of his best.
This is just a cute little restaurant that was right on the grand canal. It looked very romantic to me.
We left the grand canal and took to what I guess are more of the back roads in venice. I've never seen so many cute buildings and bridges!
Even the gondolas themselves were pieces of art. I love the sea horses on the sides. Gondolas were for centuries the chief means of transportation within Venice and still have a role in public transport, serving as traghètti (ferries) over major canals.
The gondola is propelled by an oarsman (the gondolier) who stands facing the bow and pushes, rather than pulls, a single oar. Contrary to popular belief the gondola is never poled, as the waters of Venice are too deep. A gondola for passengers may have a small open cabin, for their protection against sun or rain. A sumptuary law of Venice required that gondolas should be painted black, and they are customarily so painted now.
A gondolier, under Venetian law, must have been born in Venice to practice this profession.
It is estimated that there were several thousand gondolas during the 18th century. There are a few hundred today, most of which are for hire by tourists, while a few serve as traghetti or are in private ownership and use.
The construction of the gondola has continued to evolve until the late 19th century, when motorized boats began to replace gondolas in Venice. A gondola is long and narrow, with an asymmetrical outline to facilitate propulsion with a single oar, and a good deal of rocker (lengthwise curvature) to minimise the area of contact with the water. The oar or rèmo is held in an oar lock known as a fòrcola. The forcola is of a complicated shape, allowing several positions of the oar for slow forward rowing, powerful forward rowing, turning, slowing down and rowing backwards. The iron ornament on the front of the boat is called the fèrro. It serves to protect the prow from accidental damage, as decoration and as counterweight for the gondolier standing near the stern.
Gondolas are hand made using 8 different types of wood (fir, oak, cherry, walnut, elm, mahogany, larch and lime) and are composed of 280 pieces. The oars are made of beech wood and the left side of the gondola is made longer than the right side to counterbalance the weight of the gondolier.
Venetian tradition dictates that couples must kiss under every bridge for Eternal Love.
We passed some church towers. I think the tower above the buildings is the La Fenice Opera house, but I'm not sure.
The church of Santa Maria dei Frari, built between 1340 and 1443 by the Franciscans, is a significant example of grandiose Gothic monumental building. Its fourteenth century bell tower is even higher than the one at San Marco. The doorway of the church is richly decorated with sculptures by Bartolomeo Bon. The interior of this one nave and two aisles church is of huge proportions.
Oh look... more bridges. I was quite impressed with how well the driver managed the boat by now.
This lovely lady was waving goodbye to me at the end of my ride.
