Discover Venice and Basilica San Marco

 

Venice. It’s a city of mystery and romance. The bridges crisscrossing the canals; the gondolas gliding silently over the water; the exotic architecture, all add up to a city unlike any other in the world.

Being a curious sort, I wanted to dive a little deeper into the waters of Venice. To help me discover Venice and decipher its long history, I booked a walking tour with Context Travel, called Venice and the East.

The three-hour tour focused on St. Mark’s Cathedral (Basilica San Marco) with a little time spent on Piazza San Marco and stops at Corte del Milion and the Rialto Bridge.

 

 

This was the perfect for learning the history of Venice. Why? Because in my opinion (formed as a result of the tour), you can’t really understand Venice if you don’t know anything about Basilica San Marco.

Get to know Venice and Basilica San Marco

 Erika, the Context Travel guide, explained that Venice developed and became one of the richest and most powerful cities in the world. Located in a lagoon that opens into the Adriatic Sea, and with direct trade routes to China, Africa, Turkey, and Greece, Venice became an important maritime power.

 

By the 11th century, Venice was a major player and the Byzantine government granted Venice the right to free trade throughout the empire, creating the opportunity for Venice to become very, very rich.

Geographically located between the Asian influences to the east and the Latin influences of the west, the architecture of Venice reflects many Islamic design details. Until the 1400s this type of architecture was very popular and is often referred to as Venetian Gothic.

 

 

On the east side of the Doge’s Palace, next to the lagoon, you will notice the faces carved into the cornices of the columns. The broader features and fuller lips clearly depict people from a different culture.

 

 

The gold interior of Basilica San Marco

Now, let’s turn our attention to the focus of the tour, Basilica San Marco, where all that glitters really is gold! It is said that if you laid all the mosaics out side by side, they would cover an acre. Regarded as the most important example of Byzantine architecture in the world, it may be the most opulent church I’ve ever seen.

Besides the mosaics, there’s the Pala d’ Oro, a spectacular altarpiece commissioned in the 12th century. The panels depict religious scenes comprised of gold, silver, and gemstones – many stolen from Constantinople. The Venetians had really good taste and only stole the best.

 

 

The cathedral has been the most important place in Venice since 828, and according to legend was originally built to house the remains of its patron, St. Mark. The mosaics on the exterior tell the story of smuggling his remains out of Alexandria in a basket filled with pork to ensure the Muslims would not go near it.

 

 

Though the cathedral burned to the ground twice, it was always rebuilt. Finally, in 1094, it was consecrated and given to the city of Venice to be the people’s church. This is the church you see today with its sparkling facade and many domes and turrets. St. Mark’s was a symbol of the independence and power of the Republic of Venice.

The cathedral was also the personal chapel of the Doge of Venice until 1807. Can you imagine having your own personal gold mine, priceless art collection, and cathedral?

 

 

In spite of the beauty and the art, it felt a bit heavy to me…possibly due to the history of religious wars. Or perhaps it felt heavy due to the cold, grey day outside, and the fact that they don’t turn on all the lights until almost noon! Needless to say, the lights reflecting from the gold mosaics brightened up the interior considerably.

We completed our tour of the cathedral with a visit to the balcony and a great view over Piazza San Marco, politically and socially the most important place in Venice.  

 

 

Our tour then concluded with a brief walk over to the home of Marco Polo (famous for his silk and spice trade route) and the Rialto Bridge.  The original house burned down, and there is some controversy about this being the location of the original house. However, it makes sense that a merchant family’s home would be located near the Rialto Bridge and on a canal.

 

 

One of only four bridges that cross the Grand Canal, the  Rialto Bridge was the first bridge to connect the islands. An interesting trivia tidbit: The designer of the current bridge is Senoré Ponte – ponte means bridge! 

Why hire a guide to tour Basilica San Marco?

I am glad I waited to go inside Basilica San Marco with a guide. The place is huge and the lines are long. With a guide the wait will not be as long, nor will you waste time waiting in the wrong line! Also, I might have missed the Pala d’ Oro,  Comprised of over 250 enamels and covered in precious stones it was totally worth the extra 2 euros we paid to see it.

I would recommend this tour to anyone who is interested in history, architecture, art, culture, and gold!

Interior photographs provided by Context Travel and the Creative Commons. All the other photos are mine.

Check out these beautiful photos called Venice in Solitude.