Venice - Italy - page 266

taking a more modest approach to holiday expenditures, you'll have no excuse for
passing up at least one complete circuit of the Canal Grande by water bus. Hop
aboard vaporetto no. 1 for a complete lap of Venice's main highway, adorned with
views of the city's most jewel-like palazzi.
VISITING ST. MARK'S BASILICA In the city's pigeon-covered main piazza,
it's free and fun simply to spend a part of 1 day watching other tourists at play in
the square. On it, the basilica is one of the greatest examples of architectural
overkill, but is no less worthy because of that.
SNACKING ON CICCHETTI (APPETIZERS) AT A BACARO Tapas-style
snacking is all the rage in Venice; order your late-morning spritz along with rea-
sonably priced tramazzini or panini, or order a plate of pickled sardines.
DANCING TO THE MUSIC OF A LIVE QUINTET IN PIAZZA SAN
MARCO (ST. MARK'S SQUARE) When the open-air, cafe-sponsored bands
strike up, the moment becomes magical and the square seems lifted from a film
of the '20s. Avoid sitting at Florian's famous but ultraexpensive cafe, but be car-
ried away by the free music it offers.
EXPERIENCING ART, ART & MORE ART! The Accademia Gallery has the
greatest collection of classic Venetian art on earth, while the nearby Peggy
Guggenheim Collection displays some of the best of Western Modernism. All
around the city are churches and scuole stuffed with compelling masterpieces,
while every 2 years the International Biennale fills the city with cutting-edge mod-
ern art from around the globe.
A BRIEF HISTORY OF VENICE
Over the centuries, Venice thumbed its nose at those who tried to undermine its
independence, and survived against the odds. Once a group of muddy islands set
in a lagoon on the Adriatic Sea, Venice was settled by farmers retreating from the
onslaught of the Huns and other violent conquerors. The city later became a part
of the Byzantine empire, but over time asserted its independence and became a
self-sustaining republic and a major world power. The city's central monument—
the Basilica of St. Mark—is devoted to another act of defiance; in 828, a group of
merchants stole the body of St. Mark from Alexandria, so that the evangelist
could be installed as Venice's patron saint. You'll spot St. Mark's symbol—the
winged lion—everywhere, a constant reminder of the city's sovereign past. In later
years, the bodies of St. Nicholas and St. Isidore were also snatched and re-interred
here, as spiritual protectors of Venice.
The Venetian city-state next established dominance over the Adriatic and its
eastern shores. Not only was its naval and merchant might secured with the con-
struction of the famous Arsenale (or naval dockyard) at the start of the 12th cen-
tury, but it controlled the Brenner Pass and several mainland territories.
Motivated primarily by commercial prospects, Venice continued to grow as an
imperial power, contributing to the defeat of Constantinople during the Fourth
Crusade and once again, Venice got its fair share of the spoils of war.