Venice the City of Water as Viewed from Our Homes

​As we make our way around the beautiful country of Italy, we venture north to Venice in the Veneto region.  Venice is considered a city of the sea not just on the sea, and April 25th is St. Mark’s Day, which is the anniversary of the founding of Venice.   

There are many great places to visit in Venice, such as Doge’s Palace, San Marco Square, and St. Mark’s Basilica.  Thanks to Google Arts and Culture, we can take a short walk through St. Mark’s Basilica and Doge’s Palace to get a sense of this city of water.  

Once you have had a chance to view a few of the sites, you can take a look at the stillness of Venice during Covid19.  Take in the view of the Rialto Bridge from the Grand Canal in Venice or into the Piazza San Marco.  

It is usually a bustling square most times of the day, but you can see how quiet the city is in the square and the Grand Canal.  I recently read an article about a group of women in Venice, called Row Venice, who are using the gondolas to deliver groceries to the elderly of the city.  You can follow @rowvenice on Instagram to follow their story of helping one another during this world crisis.

If you like to read while stuck in your living room an interesting book about Venice and some of its mystery is The City Of Fallen Angels, by John Berendt. Berendt immersed himself in the culture and lifestyle of the Venetians. Italian Neighbors, by Tim Parks, is about an outsider living in a village close to Verona, where he is married to an Italian and has a perspective from both sides.  In the book, he offers tips on how to NOT act like a foreigner.  
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With our view from the couch, we can find many interesting facts and details about Venice and the surrounding area of Italy.