Happy Italy Tuesday! Thank you for joining me as I re-cap our trip to Italy. Today, we are heading to Venice.
Founded by refugees escaping invasions from the Huns, Venice has been around since the 4th century. It is built on wooden piles which were pounded deep into the mud where they were protected from oxygen and the decay that it can bring.
As soon as we arrived in Venice we boarded Water Taxis for a tour of the Grand Canal.
We saw beautiful churches, amazing architecture....
...and the most beautiful bridges I have ever had the pleasure of seeing. Above is the Rialto Bridge, the oldest bridge spanning the Grand Canal.
Here is the Basilica Di Santa Maria Della Salute.
I so enjoyed the baroque style architecture found throughout Venice.
After our Water Taxi tour, we boarded a Gondola to see the quieter canals of the city.
There are only about 400 Gondoliers (Gondola operators) in Venice, it is a coveted and very well paid profession.
In such a tourist intensive city, it was nice to escape into the more peaceful areas of Venice.
We did get to explore the non-water streets of Venice. Did you know Venice is made up of over 100 islands all connected by bridges? There are no cars allowed on most of the islands.
With Venice sinking 1-2 millimeters a year, while sea levels rise, the area is prone to flooding. Taller structures are starting to lean a bit like the church tower above.
One of the most beautiful sights are the reflections you find in the canals.
Venice was one of my more "photo/video" intensive cities, so the video is a bit long:
I'll be back on Friday to show you Lido, the island of Venice where we stayed!
Thanks for tagging along!
We are joining Sandee at Comedy Plus for the
Happy Tuesday Blog Hop this week!
Hari OM
ReplyDeleteIt's just so photogenic! I don't wonder that you loaded up your SD cards... those leaning buildings are a bit of a worry though! YAM xx
It really was a bit disconcerting knowing the city was sinking.
Deletewe love it!!! and we always wanted such an old palazzo... then the mama had to row us for a potty walk in the morning LOL
ReplyDeleteWe would love to see you Boyz on a Gondola with your pawrents!
DeleteAll the buildings with water around them always makes Mom a bit nervous. Amsterdam has a lot of canals too but they seem more sturdy than in Venice. Still it is amazing what they built there and then all the "water streets". It is truly beautiful.
ReplyDeleteAgreed, it is a bit freaky, but also genius the way the city is laid out.
DeleteVenice is just gorgeous!
ReplyDeleteAgreed!!!
DeleteWhat a beautiful place to visit. The architecture is amazing.
ReplyDeleteI think I must have said those exact words 87 gazillion times. They really knew how to do amazing!
DeleteSuch an amazing place, I always wanted to visit there!
ReplyDeleteIt's filled with so much history and beauty!
DeleteSo beautiful. What an adventure. Thanks for taking me along. A city I would love to explore.
ReplyDeleteThank you for joining the Happy Tuesday Blog Hop.
Have a fabulous Happy Tuesday. Scritches to the pups and my very best to their wonderful peeps. ♥
We've been back 6 weeks and are still reeling from all that we saw!
DeleteBeth I spied you peeping out of the water taxi window.
ReplyDeleteWhat an incredible relaxing tour on the canal...the gentle ripples and breeze...just lovely
Hugs cecilia
Teeheehee. It was a tour I'll never forget!
DeleteTestament to the ingenuity of humanity - living on a swampy estuary - and making such a beautiful and famous city out of it
ReplyDeleteMagnificent photos of your beautiful travels in Venice ~ Wow ! Great video too '~
ReplyDeleteHugs ^_^