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Rudy on camera on a small canal.
RUDY (on camera)
I'm Rudy Maxa. Welcome to the most beautiful city in world, an intoxicating dream of a place, a Siren who invites you to surrender yourself to her charms. Next up, Venice, on (Smart Travels)
The Open.
Montage of scenes of Venice - steps leading up right out of the water to a Palace, boats laden with fruits and vegetables, a tiny canal with a boat on it, a mask shop, a winged lion, balconies, sunset.
Venice is another world, an enchanted place where sea becomes land, cars are boats, streets are canals, and reality and fantasy blur.
Scenes of Rudy on back streets and empty streets. Shots of narrow streets opening on to campos, reflections in the canal, paint peeling, pigeons and a face in a window.
Walking alone on the back streets of Venice, something bewitches and takes hold of you.
This is magical, mysterious Venice.
The buildings - water lapping at the base, doors that open onto water, mopre stairs leading out of the sea, boats parked outside of houses, a fireboat or policeboat.
The city's very existence defies reason - built on mud flats and wooden stilts, it's a patchwork of land and sea. Yet this watery town became an Empire, and for some 800 years grew in strength, wealth and pride.
San Marco square - pull out from lion?
From the 10th through the 17th centuries, Venice was the gateway to the East. Merchants from all over the known world met here. And Piazza San Marco was the grand entryway to the city. My daughter Sarah and I are off to explore this, the most famous Piazza in all the world.
People with pigeons all over them.
Pigeons may just outnumber tourists in Piazza San Marco. Some say they descended from birds the Doge released every Palm Sunday.
The belltower.
The bell tower, the Campanile, collapsed in 1902 - the only casualty was the caretaker's cat. The new campanile, completed in 1912, is true to the original.
Lions of Venice.
The Lion is the symbol of Venice and nothing better represents Venetian tenacity, glory and pride.
Piazza San Marco - a pan from the dock to the basilica.
The gem of the piazza is the Basilica of San Marco. Unlike any other church in Italy, it looks as though it jumped straight from the pages of a fairy tale.
The mosaics that show the theft of San Marco and the custom officials. Also painting of Saint Mark in boat P. Veneziano - San Marco Museum.
Around the year 800, Venice was shopping for a patron saint. A couple of merchants stole the remains of Saint Mark from Alexandria. They hid the saint in a basket of pork to repulse the Muslim customs officers and to keep them from checking the contents. Saint Mark was a handy travelling companion. He woke the sleeping crew during a storm and saved them from destruction.
Interior of San Marco - including - Pilasters of Acre, the treasury, the Pala d'Oro, the Bronze Horses, etc.
Merchants returning from their travels always stopped at the Basilica to pay homage to their patron saint and to offer jewels or artwork that they picked up on their travels. The celebrated bronze horses, stolen from Constantinople, are one of Venice's most prized spoils. The horses outside are copies - the originals are on display in a small museum upstairs in the Basilica.
Additional shots of the interior.
When the interior of San Marco is illuminated, the mosaics sparkle. It's best to stop by the basilica to find out the lighting schedule.
Rudy on camera at San Marco. He has vaporetto map.
After paying homage to San Marco, merchants loaded their wares into smaller boats and set off down the Grand Canal.
Map of Venice - vaporetto routes marked.
To follow their route, take the vaporetto down the Grand Canal. If you plan more than one trip, buy a one, three or seven day pass. Stamp it in the yellow machine to validate it.
POP UP:
There is usually a separate vaporetto boarding platform for boats heading in each direction on the canal.
TIP: You'll find routes, fares, and timetables at www.actv.it.
Montage of the Grand Canal - boats, people, palaces.
If San Marco is Venice's exotic reception room, the Grand Canal is a main street of the imagination. Lacey palaces line both sides of the canal, like set pieces for a fantasy.
Palace montage
Those plundering, seafaring Venetian merchants traveled, traded and amassed great fortunes. The palaces were their houses - that's why many have the prefix Ca' which is short for casa, the Italian word for house.
Interior of a Palazzo - Rezzonica, D'Oro or Pasaro. Gondolas and pictures of women's dresses - poss. Carpaccio's Courtesan Ladies.
The rich families were so competitive about displaying their wealth, that "sumptuary laws" were passed to limit this competition. The state ordered all gondolas painted black, excessive finery in palaces was outlawed, a limit was even placed on the length of trains on women's dresses.
Rudy on camera on vaporetto.
Ah, but the Venetians found a way - women began wearing enormous platform clogs so they could lengthen their dresses. The shoes were so high, women couldn't walk without the help of two escorts to hold them up.
The Ducale Palace - exterior, quick interior if we can get it.
Venetians were an odd mix of the democratic and the tyrannical. The wealthy families elected their Doge, even put checks and balances on his power.
Lion's mouths
At the same time, citizens regularly denounced each other to the secret police. The accuser slipped his complaint into one of the many lion's mouths around the city.
The Rialto bridge - as seen from the boat, then the area around it on shore.
Returning merchants stopped here. The Rialto bridge is the center of Venice - it's the trading district, the very heart of town.
In its heyday, the Rialto Bridge was the meeting place for merchants from all over the world.
The Rialto bridge, then the mercerie near Rialto - the hub bub of trade and shopping. Signs: olio, vino, spezie.
Just next to the bridge, on the west side of the river, the Pesheria and the Erberia, the fish and vegetable markets, have been going strong for a thousand years. The alleys and quays are still named for the items traded here.
Scenes of tourists on the Rialto bridge.
The Rialto district still buzzes with foreigners - but today they are the tourists who descend in massive droves to shop.
The Mercerie - the streets. the shops, the tourists, the goods.
The commercial district between the Rialto and San Marco is called the Mercerie. A visitor to this area in the 1600's described the "cloth of gold, rich damasks and other silks, perfumers, apothecaries and innumerable cages of nightingales." Today many of the shops are overpriced tourist traps. But the color, life and energy of the market is still going strong.
Rudy on camera in San Marco.
The area around San Marco and Rialto is fiercely touristed - especially around mid day when tour boats drop off thousands of people for just a few hours of sightseeing.
Shots of hotels, shots of tourists.
A few hours in Venice isn't enough to do the city justice. Spend a night, explore the back streets, get away from the crowds. There are many hotels here in every price range from palaces to canal side pensiones - although reservations are a must. In off-season, you can have the truly magical experience of having Venice all to yourself.
Rudy at the Cipriani
When I planned my trip to Venice, I abandoned all sumptuary laws - and decided to live it up. Fairy tale Venice has a fairy tale hotel.
The Cipriani - grounds, view of from water, view from room etc.
We're staying at one of the finest, most beautiful hotels in the world - the Cipriani. Luxurious accommodation, attentive service and fine cuisine. It's Venetian hospitality at
its best. The hotel is located on an island across from San Marco and away from the crowds. It has its own ferry to the mainland. Everyday or evening you get to enter Venice though the front door.
Rudy on camera at the Zattere - he has a map.
You know, it's crazy, but most of the tourists here never get beyond Piazza San Marco. The way I like to see Venice or any other city - is to set out with a mission and see what happens along the way. My daughter Sarah has joined me. We're going to look for a mask store near Campo Santa Margherita.
Map that shows all three neighborhoods - fly forward detail of map, detail of the Dosorduro section.
There are three terrific crowd-free neighborhoods to explore in Venice: Dorsoduro, Cannaregio and San Polo. We're starting in Dorsoduro, literally "hard back" - the largest spine of dry land in Venice.
The Zattere.
Stretching the length of the Dorsoduro is the Zattere, a long promenade, a favorite for strolling Venetians.
Montage of scenes from inner Dorsoduro.
Having a mission takes you to neighborhoods you might never see otherwise - and something surprising always pops up. Along the way we stumble on a gondola repair shop and wander past palaces, cafes, and charming campos. I'm always on the lookout for a restaurant to come back to for dinner.
The Accademia - exterior and pan of interior.
Detour to the nearby museum, the Accademia. Once the city's art school, the Accademia now holds a collection of important Venetian paintings from the 14th through the 18th centuries. Of particular note are the masterpieces by Gentile Bellini and Vittore Carpaccio.
Rudy and his daughter walking. Signs pointing to the Accademia, etc.
The back streets and canals of Dorsoduro are too beautiful to rush through.
Navigating here isn't all that hard - well, okay, maybe I am a little lost, but it doesn't matter. In Venice you can always follow signs back to one of the major landmarks.
Campo Santa Margherita - Rudy and his daughter enter.
Just when you think you're completely turned around, you find what you've been looking for. This is sunny Campo Santa Margerita, a lively Venetian meeting place.
Ponte di Pugni.
To get to the mask shop, we cross the Ponte di Pugni - literally the bridge of fists. It was tradition for members of rival clans to battle it out on this bridge. Two footprints mark the starting point.
The mask shop.
We've arrived at Ca Macana, the mask store. Ca Macana's owner, Mario Belloni, started making masks for fun when he was an architecture student and he ended up researching and reviving the ancient art of Venetian mask making.
Rudy and his daughter try on masks, interacting with the owner as he explains a few.
A series of wars and the loss of trade routes dealt a death blow to the Venetian Empire. The Venetian love of adventure turned to a love of gambling and parties - by the eighteenth century, Venice was Europe's party city. Carnival, the festival that's a last fling before Lent, lasted for months. Masks became a way of life - gamblers hid behind them, men and women flirted under their cover. People wore them so often that the clergy complained, insisting that masks should at least be removed in church.
Rudy on camera across from the Ca D'Oro. Can cover first part with shots of older people.
The Venetian Empire continues to decline - the population is half today what it was fifty years ago. The young leave in droves for the mainland, and tourism dominates the economy. But there still are corners of this city where the locals outnumber the visitors. I'm off in search of working class Venice.
Map of the area.
Cannaregio . . . . the name of this section was originally regione delle canne - or district of bamboo, after the marsh land it was built on.
Poeple coming out of church, people in trattorias. Scenes of Palaces on the way to Madonna dell'Orto - palaces and churches are keyed. (Palazzo Mastelli and Madonna dell' Orto)
This is lived in Venice. It's Sunday and after church lunch is underway in the neighborhood trattorias. Everyone is out for a stroll, a chat, a little entertainment.
The quieter parts of Cannaregio - laundry, nuns crossing a bridge.
The back streets of Cannaregio are the loneliest in Venice. This is the place to see how Venetians live. The exquisite church - the Madonna dell' Orto - is named for a miracle-working statue of the Madonna found in a nearby garden.
Leaving sunny Cannaregio behind, I'm off to another undiscovered neighborhood, mysterious San Polo.
Exterior of Do Mori. Map of San Polo.
San Polo is located across the Grand Canal from Canareggio.
Rudy back at the Grand Canal.
I found my way back to the Grand Canal, but unfortunately there are only three bridges that cross it. So I'm going to do what the locals do - I'm going to take a traghetto.
The locals stand up for the ride - no problemo.
The traghetto is a ferry that shuttles people across the Grand Canal. While gondola rides can be expensive, traghetto rides cost only pennies and can save a lot of walking.
POP UP:
There are seven traghetto stops along the Grand Canal. Look for the yellow signs.
Do Mori wine bar. Shots of the wine being poured, the patron's faces, the trays of snacks, the bright outside as seen looking out the door.
In the afternoons, try the Venetian ritual of an ombre - a drink and a snack. Ombre means shadow and in the shade of Do Mori, the city's oldest wine bar, you can come to love this tradition.
Scenes of San Polo - campos, canals - the churches.
The Do Mori is a good starting point for exploring one of the oldest, most atmospheric sections of Venice. San Polo is a mysterious maze of narrow streets and canals. I love the sudden campos, the hiddens gardens, the nooks and crannies of San Polo.
Santa Maria Gloriosa dei Frari.
San Polo is also home to the grand 15th century church I Frari.
Titians: The Assumption at Frari and Pesaro Altarpiece.
Dominating this superb church is the Assumption of the Virgin, a 16th century work by the Venetian artistic superstar Tiziano Vecellio, known as Titian. The drama and bold colors of the Assumption startled and dismayed the friars who commissioned the work in 1516.
The Bellini Triptych.
The sacristy holds another masterpiece, the Triptych by Giovanni Bellini is a luminous example of Venetian Renaissance art. The painting seems curved, so great is Bellini's use of perspective.
Montage of gondolas. Gondoliers at station. Rudy on camera with his daughter.
A gondola ride. It's part of the charm of Venice - but it's expensive, so why stick with the tourists?
We're getting away from the gondola stations at San Marco and Rialto . . .
. . . and starting out at Campo Santa Maria Formosa, where the canals are quieter, smaller and more picturesque.
Gondolier - Rudy enters frame. Rudy talking to the gondolier.
Choose your gondolier and your route according to your tastes and negotiate the price before you start.
Rudy and Sarah entering restaurant.
Remember the restaurant that we discovered wandering the back streets of Dorsoduro? We loved the selection of risotto on the menu so we called for a reservation.
POP UP:
Cantinone Storico is located a few blocks from the Accademia bridge.
Cantinone Storico specializes in traditional Venetian food like this risotto with scampi and artichokes. Owner Alessandro Tridenti tells me that if he can please Venetians, he can please anyone. The risotto melts in your mouth.
Montage of other types of restaurants in Venice - tourist menus etc.
Venice can be a culinary treat but it also serves up plenty of mediocre, overpriced food. It's best to get away from tourist areas and tourist menus. Explore the back streets of Venice, and along the way you'll find an out of the way restaurant that appeals. It's a good idea to book a table during high season.
Rudy on camera at restaurant.
I'm finishing off my dinner with the signature dessert of Venice - Tiramisu. It's layers of spongecake, marscapone, chocolate and coffee. In Italian, tira mi su means "pick me up" and after this I'm going to need someone to tira mi su and carry me too - out of the restaurant.
The islands of the lagoon - as seen from Cipriani? or from Cannaregio.
The next day, I admit I'm still a little weak from too much chocolate. A boat trip to the islands in the lagoon seems the perfect solution. Vaporettos and tour boats leave frequently for the lagoon islands of Murano, Burano and Torcello. We're catching the boat from San Marco.
Map.
Murano is a quick 15 minutes, Burano and Torcello are about 40 minutes away.
Scenes of Murano - the street of factories.
Murano is famous for glass.
Shots of glassmaking at one of the factories.
In the 14th century, officials ordered the Venetian glassworks moved to Murano to lessen the fire danger in Venice proper and to guard the craftsmen's secret techniques. Woe to the artisan who tried to skip town. The glassmaking technique was so jealously guarded that errant glassmakers were hunted down, even executed.
Rudy and sarah shopping for glass.
The glass is tempting but difficult to carry home. We're off to the next island for more portable souvenirs.
Scenes of Burano - lace and houses.
Lace is to Burano as glass is to Murano. The delicate lace stitching is thought to be derived from the technique used to repair fishing nets. Today the lacework adorns shirts, tablecloths and doilies. For me, the colorful streets are the highpoints of this fishing village.
More scenes of houses, fishermen and nets, etc.
Back when fishing was bigger than tourism, the women of Burano painted their houses in bright colors so their husbands could pick out their homes from the sea. Nowadays, residents are required to repaint every year and the color of the house must remain the same.
Torcello - the island from the boat.
The most remote and wild of the islands is Torcello. It was the original site of the earliest settlers - back when barbarians drove them into the lagoon. Built in 639, the lovely cathedral on Torcello is Venice's oldest building.
Interior of Santa Maria Assunta.
The simple interior is adorned with splendid mosaics - these from the 13th century tell the story of the last judgment in vivid detail.
The grounds of the church; the ride home.
Wandering through the quiet, mystical grounds of the Basilica, it seems no surprise that this little island was the birthplace of Venice.
Sunset from the Cip looking at San Marco. Rudy and his daughter watch. The reflections in the water, the sun going down, boats, the sky. The sun disappears. Vivaldi music up and under.
I'm enchanted, bewitched, undone by Venice.
Scenes of Venice at night - the moon reflected in a canal, an empty campo, a lively restaurant.
At night, strains of Vivaldi seep out from the doors of churches and concert halls into the moonlit canals. Cafes and bars brighten the campos.
Scenes from San Marco at night - the music, the tourists, the people in cafes, the artists.
The pigeons are sleeping, and visitors and Venetians alike are out and about. (Having a glass of champagne) Nursing an expensive drink at one of the old world cafes in San Marco, you can watch the Venice pageant as so many people have for so many centuries.
Scenes of Venice - the palaces, old women with lace, the narrow alleys, the masks, sunset and sunrise, stone lions and griffins.
Magical, mysterious Venice. In Death in Venice, the classic novel by Thomas Mann, Venice is described as half-fairy tale, half snare.
Rudy on a back street of Venice, a winding, narrow corridor.
Well, I'm snared, hooked, shipwrecked, lost, totally captivated by Venice. You're going to have to take me away from this place by force. That is, if you can find me.
He dons a Carnival mask and cloak.
RUDY (con't)
Ciao.
He walks off and disappears over a bridge.