Shutter-Bug Candi: Venice (Venezia)

Venice was another great experience on this vacation. I went from Rome where drivers are absolutely crazy, to Florence where they are much tamer, and then to Venice where there are no cars. Even though the day of my visit was slightly overcast, it was still a beautiful day, in my opinion (this coming from an Oregonian). It was super crowded in most every place, except for my late night tour of mysteries and legends which took us off the beaten path. It is hard to summarize my day there, other than being too short. So for this post I have decided to share with you some facts about Venice that I learned while on my tours and lots of pictures.

*Approximately 55,000 people live in Venice, but they receive over 18 million visitors a year (that's about 50,000 visitors per day). So the population essentially doubles on a daily basis.

*Venice is actually made up of tiny islands--there are 118 islands.

*Every time you cross a bridge in Venice you are going to a different island--there are more than 417 bridges in Venice (72 which are private).

*There are 177 canals in Venice.

*Only 3 to 4 Gondolier licenses are issued each year. To qualify applicants must go to gondolier school, finish extensive training, and pass rigorous exams. There are only approximately 350-400 licensed Gondolas operating in Venice.

*Venice got its first female Gondolier in 2010.

*Venice is sinking at the rate of 1-2 millimeters per year.

This is a bus station! No, really.....since there are no vehicles in Venice you take the Water Bus, and this is what a "bus" station stop looks like.

This is the staircase at the Palazzo Contarini del Bovolo. It is actually off the main paths, in a quiet little (private) courtyard. The main building is nothing special, but the outside spiral staircase was beautiful. It has been nicknamed the bovolo, which means snail shell (referring to the shape). This used to be a home, but now serves as offices. The home originally belonged to the Contarini family, which were among some of the elite in the 1400's. One of the stories says that the elaborate stiarcase allowed the wealthy nobleman to ride his horse to the top, other stories say the man was just lazy and that is why he used it to ride his horse to the top.

For a city surrounded by water, Venice actually had a severe water shortage. Originally water had to be drawn from springs on the mainland and transported back by boats. Later each little piazza or campielli had it's own cistern and well. The grates in the ground were used to collect rainwater, and it would funnel into a large cistern where locals could go and draw up fresh water. (Today these are no longer used.)