Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
3
POSTCARD FROM VENICE
Matteo Gabbrielli was easy to spot in the early-morning rush of tourists at St. Mark's Square.
Slender, dark hair peeking out from his 1920s cap, narrow brown eyes and that arresting
Venetian nose—he had to be our local guide.
“You are Matteo?” I said as we sat down for a coffee and pastry on a cool June morning.
Bill and I had arrived the day before on the overnight train from Paris. Even after several
visits to Venice, the first sight of the city never fails to take my breath away. I was muttering
about the city's insane beauty, the light on the water, the masterpieces in the churches, Mat-
teo nodding his head. Then I asked why only Japanese were lining up outside the basilica.
“They are always the first to come. They spend fifty-five minutes on culture, then one hour
buying souvenirs—'Venetian' masks made in China—then back to their buses.”
How could they come all the way to Venice and spend only one hour seeing the glories
of one of the world's great cities? This former Mediterranean empire was home to mer-
chants who traded in all corners of the known world, a naval power that conquered cities
as mighty as Constantinople and a cultural mecca whose artists created a treasure-house of
churches and paintings, sculptures and bells ringing over noble palazzos from the Renais-
sance and Gothic eras.
Matteo shook his head. “Venice is dying, slowly, slowly. But it is dying.”
He wasn't referring to the classic Venetian problem of rising water. A flood in 1966
nearly destroyed the foundations of this magical city of islands. That near disaster spawned
countless “Save Venice” committees and convinced donors and governments to spend $4
billion constructing an underwater system of sluice gates between Venice and the sea that
will limit the flooding of the city. The United Nations' UNESCO has an office in Venice to
oversee this and the newer problem of global warming that has added to the issue of rising
waters.
The disease that Matteo believes is killing Venice is tourism; the crowds of tourists gath-
ering all around us, crowds descending from enormous cruise ships whose wakes often
cause more damage to the city foundations than the famous “aqua alta” following heavy
rains. Tourism is hollowing out the city. Venetians are being pushed out by businesses that
cater to tourists with the blessing of the city fathers. Rents are astronomical. Real estate is
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