Venice - Part 2

The signage to San Marco.

Rowing through the narrow canals.

Occupation: Gondolier
Income: Depending on no. tourists & couples. More during Valentine's Day when asked to sing
Housing Type: Probably a mansion (with the amount earned per pax, you'll never know)

One of the less crowded squares in Venice.
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The architectural works are just amazingly detailed.

The street of 'brands'.
I'm not a 'brandy' person, so I won't know if the LV, Chanel etc. they sell here are cheaper :>

Piazza San Marco

Finally, we've reached San Marco Square...the view is simply spectacular.
No wonder this is the most popular square in Venice.

The Procuratie Vecchie is an imposing structure. I wonder if this is one of Europe's longest building...we couldn't capture the entire construction with our camera.

There are about 50 arches and are built to such perfection and consistency. Underneath them were the shops and cafes. Great place for people watching I must say.

The 3 'Manys': Many people, many arches, many pigeons.

St Mark's Basilica

St Mark's basilica is one of the most spectacular houses of worship in the world, attesting to the Venetian Republic's former maritime and commercial might. It is adorned with a mass of domes and arches and apparently, every kind of marble surface you can find, hence some said it's a "gothic fantasia".
Dress code: knees, shoulders and upper arms are to be covered.

This picture shows the whole Basilica (extracted from Stéphanie Mausset)

A little history...

The basilica was modelled on Constantinople's Church of the Twelve Apostles and consecrated in 1904. It is famous for its golden mosaics, particularly those above the doorways in the facade adn decorating the interior domes. You can take time to admire the 12th century marble pavement but not for long for it's kinda glaring.

The basilica's treasures include the gleaming Pala d'Oro altarpiece of gold, enamel and precious jewels. The Tesoro (Treasury) contains most of the booty from the 1204 raid on Constantinople, including a thorn said to have come from the crown worn by Christ.



We didn't go into the basilica cos the Q was darn long!
It's best that you book a tour in advance to save you the trouble of queuing. But you need to make sure you could reach St Mark's Square in time for the tour. That was one of the reason why we didn't book it since we know we'll sure get lost and won't be able to make it in time. It's also not that easy to find helpful people there.

The sun rays seemed to be piercing through our skin...I thought it was hotter than SG. So could that explain why the Italians are darker?

Palazzo Ducale (Palace Ducale)

The Ducale Palace used to be the resident of the Doge until the fall of the Venetian Republic in 1797.

Over here, you could have a taste of Cinderella...simply put bread crumbs all over you and the pigeons will be all over you ;> Be careful of their poo poos thou...I kena that whilst waiting for Uncle Tan from his toilet trip.......
Fortunately it was time to go back liao...


It is actually illegal to feed the pigeons. There were 2 police officers patrolling and preventing people from feeding them thou but I suppose tourists would still carry on thereafter. Probably if you fine them, it might work? ;p

Showing an overview of Piazza San Marco.

St Mark's Campanile

The campanile had collapsed once in 1902 without causing any casualties.

Inside the bell tower, there are 5 large cast iron bells. Each bell has a name and a purpose:
Marangona rang mornings and evenings at the beginning and end of the work day.
Maleficio rang for capital executions.
Nona rang at the 9th hour.
Trottiera called magistrates to meetings in the Palazzo Ducale.
Pregadi called senators to the Palace.

Not bad, can save on telephone call charges ;p

We saw the long queue of people and the height of the campanile and thought it's gonna be a long way up with all the people. So we didn't bother to go in..actually, it has a lift!! Argh!!!!

So this is how it will look like if you're up at the tower.

Photo extracted from Stéphanie Mausset

This is the Grand Canal where you'll see many gondolas parking.

I was sooooo tempted to buy this umbrella back...so pretty but I know it's not practical in SG and I wouldn't wana invite curious stairs too. But it's just so pretty. Their lace work is indeed exquisite.

Buay tahan liao...need to find shelter...this whole entire stretch is scorchingly hot. This entire stretch has the most no. of push carts selling souvenirs. If you wish to buy souvenirs, try to get them in shops away from San Marco Square and Piazza Roma as they are pricier there.