Art shops in Venice

Venice, being a fairly artsy place, had several art shops, especially in the more touristy areas. For the most part they were overpriced sketchbooks and pencils, but we came across one that actually allowed you to mix your own pigments from powdered colors.

I wanted to swat them and make little multi-colored puffs.


Meg Chandler

The Bridges of Venice

With so many small islands and such an intricate system of canals, bridges become a necessity in Venice. Thanks to bridges of all different shapes and sizes, the city can easily be navigated by foot as well as by boat. While there are numerous smaller footbridges, there are only three bridges that span the Grand Canal. One of these is the wooden Ponte dell'Accademia which resembles the bridge that once stood in its place. Another is the Rialto Bridge which is just as much of a market as it is a piece of infrastucture. Modern bridges have also been constructed in areas such as Giudecca where new housing is being erected. Lucky residents will even find private bridges leading to their doors. All in all, it is clear that bridges are an important part of Venice's circulation and history.

Greg Scarmo

Ponte di Rialto

The Ponte di Rialto (or Rialto Bridge) is the oldest and most famous bridge spanning the Grand Canal in Venice, Italy. Initially built in 1250 as a timber bridge to cross to the Rialto market on the eastern bank, today, this bridge has become an icon to the city. The first wooden bridge was a simple structure composed of two inclined ramps meeting at a moveable central section that could be raised for large ships to pass through. In the first half of the 15th century, two rows of shops were built along the sides of the bridge, whose income helped with the maintenance of the bridge. In 1444, the bridge collapsed under the weight of a crowd watching a boat parade, and it collapsed again in 1524. Finally, in 1551, Italian authorities requested proposals for the renewal of the bridge, and Antonio da Ponte beat out other architects such as Palladio, Vignola, and even Michaelangelo for the project. The present stone bridge was completed in 1591, and it is remarkably similar to the original wooden bridge with its single span flanked by boutiques.

Sara Anrrich

Water Buses in Venice

There are no typical cars, taxis, or trains in Venice, but that may be because there are no roads on which the vehicles can drive. Venice is completely surrounded by canals and the Adriatic sea. So in response to all this water, Venice has water buses (known as the vaporetti), water taxis, gondolas, and ferries as some of the main modes of transportation. The vaporetti are the most common and most affordable way to get around the city. Although you can take a public gondola to cross over the Grand Canal for only .50 euro, which is a great way to experience the gondolas. All of these modes of transportation are a great way to get away from the usual cars, buses, and taxis.

Allison Spiker

A Flooded Piazza San Marco

Piazza San Marco is a central landmark for Venice and is the most popular square. This piazza also happens to be the lowest point in Venice which leads to a flooding during the Aqua Alta, which is the "high water" from storm surges from the Adriatic, typically during the Spring. The piazza is designed so that water will run through the drains and directly into the Grand Canal. But during the Aqua Alta it has the opposite effect, with the water coming back up through these drains and flooding the piazza. San Marco typically floods approximately 60 times a year. When it does flood though, boardwalks are erected on which the people walk. While the flooding of this square is never good, it does provide for some wonderful picture opportunities.

Allison Spiker

Canals in the Veneto

Murano

Twilight in Venice

Padova

Grand Canal in Venice

Canal cities are not uncommon, but Venice is THE canal city. In most other places, canals are dug to drain the land or form transportation routes. In Venice the land was built up on the marsh and this formed the canals. There are no cars in Venice. Every form of transportation you would find on streets is found on the water. Buses become vaporetto, taxis become water taxis or gondole, bikes become rowboats, cars become private boats. Foot traffic still needs to be done on land. If any swimmers were to survive being run over by the many boats on the canals, the water itself would probably kill you. Beautiful as the canals are, they are basically open sewers.

Elizabeth Conte

Peggy Guggenheim Museum - Garden Art

Situated directly on one of the major canals of Venice, the Peggy Guggenheim Museum boasts a comprehensive collection of 20th century art. Among the various pieces of artwork, one can find great examples of major modern movements from European artists such as Picasso, Duchamp, Kupka, Mondrian, and Dali. Her display of American artwork, mostly produced by Pollock, adds to the importance of this broad collection. Although cameras are not allowed inside the museum, an interesting garden remains outside. The Nasher Sculpture Garden provides an external presentation of modern art. Included in this exterior display are metallic shaped animals, a space altering glass prism, and an electronically simulated waterfall. All of these sculptures add visual interest to the traditional facades of Peggy Guggenheim’s Palace, which houses the works of art. After viewing the intriguing outdoor sculpture, be sure to also pay a visit to the grave marker of her multiple canine companions.

Patrick Lee

The Venice Olivetti Showroom

The Olivetti Showroom owns a space on St. Marks Square in Venice. The small gallery contains paintings for sale from mostly Picasso and Salvador Dali. The retail space is two stories and has a waterfall which flows from the rear of the second floor to the front of the first level. The design of the exterior and interior is very "Scarpoesque" with extreme detail throughout.

Architect: Carlos Scarpa
Brian Williford

How to act like a tourist

I returned from getting something delicious at a nearby trattoria to discover this:

They'd seen a message floating in a wine bottle in the water, a good meter and a half below them. So of course! We must have it! Mark's tripod was the only utensil long enough to reach, and everyone was shouting about the best method to get the thing out of the water. Jennie found some guys who had a net on a pole, but by the time they'd arrived with it, someone had managed to fish it out.

Did I mention that they were lying on the ground all incognito and clean?

Zomg what is it?!

Nothing important, throw it back.

La Giudecca vaporetto stop
Meg Chandler

Murano Glass - Meg

In Venice, Jennie and I took the vaporetto (water bus) to the island of Murano, to check out all the glass. A fair amount of the glass studios were open, and almost all of them were free, in the hopes that after you had watched the artists do their thing, you would go next door and purchase their wares. The first guys we saw were making vases. Apparently red glass is expensive because one of the things they use to make the glass red is gold.
All of the studios had cool detail work on the gates and doors, too, as would be expected.
Glass roses. It was fun watching all the big, burly Italian men sweating away to create these delicate little glass flowers.
Doorknobs on one of the shops.Glass rubble outside a studio.
Murano bus stop
Meg Chandler

Maintaining the Canals of Venice

The beautiful city of Venice is slowly sinking into the lagoon in which it was built. Construction likely began in the second century AD, and ever since it has been an ongoing task to repair the deteriorating foundations of the city. While many plans are being hatched to save Venice from rising waters, others are constantly working to save the city from collapsing into the canals and lagoon. These photographs show the intensive process that it takes to repair a canal. Due to its location the city of Venice has an entirely unique infrastructure and support system , different than any other city in the world. The mundane task of road repair, which most of us are accustomed to, becomes an entirely different endeavor in Venice. First, coffer dams are erected around the area that is to be repaired to seal it off from the surrounding waters. Then the water is drained using pumps, thick sludge that has built up over the years is cleaned out, and the canal and foundations are repaired. This is only a brief description of a very labor intensive process. Read more about maintaining Venice's canals.

Will Wingfield

The Island of Murano

For centuries, the world-renowned island of Murano in Venice, Italy has been famous for producing colorful, elaborate, and skillfully made glass. Murano’s reputation in glassmaking was born in 1921, when the Venetian Republic ordered all glassmakers to move out of Venice for fear of fire and destruction to the city’s mostly wood buildings. Since then, these artisans have developed or refined many techniques, including the production of crystalline glass, enameled glass, glass with threads of gold, multicolored glass, milk glass, and imitation gemstones made of glass. Visitors to the island can witness the glassmakers still employing the century-old techniques to produce everything from contemporary glass art and jewelry to chandeliers, wine stoppers, and other house-wares. The island can be easily reached by public water-bus, where visitors can enjoy an afternoon visiting the Museo Vetrario (Glass Museum), shopping in the many boutiques along the canals, and watching glassblowers at work.

Sara Anrrich