Travel to Venice

There is an extraordinary city in Italy, spread out on several islands. The city, which until 1866 was considered a separate state, a tourist mecca, an open-air museum - all this is Venice. It is believed that the exact date of the origin of the settlement on the site of Venice, is still unknown, and refers to the period between 421 and 452 years. Just at this time Ancient Italy experienced another attack of cruel conquerors on its territory. Residents of the northern side were forced to flee from the barbarians on the wild islands of the Adriatic. Wetlands, which seemed unsuitable for housing, gradually acquired a familiar form, the settlement grew, which subsequently led to the emergence of a beautiful city on the water.

Completely accustomed to new lands, residents faced the problem of protecting their territories, so by the year 466 the first Venetian government was founded, and much later the single ruler Doge.

It is the Doge's Palace that is still considered the main attraction and the visiting card of Venice, it was the place where the Supreme Council held its meetings, the court took place and the Senate was located. The Doges' Palace, designed to impress the imagination and to awe the foreign ambassadors, fully justified its purpose. The huge three-tiered structure, executed in the Gothic style, has many statues dedicated to the rulers of the city, a huge number of towers, columns and arches. Paper gates, through which you can get directly into the arched gallery, the Giants 'staircase, received its name from two huge statues of Neptune and Mars, the Senators' yard, the halls of the Senate and the Grand Council ... It is impossible to enumerate all the beauties of this ancient structure, the creation of which only known and Skillful masters. The fire that occurred in 1577 almost destroyed the building, and the builder of the Realto Bridge, Antonio da Polta, completely restored the original appearance of the palace.

The Realto Bridge, located at the narrowest point of the Grande Canal, replaced four of its predecessors when, in 1588, an architect who circumvented such meters as Michelangelo and Sansovino began the construction of a stone structure. A huge arched work of art, for today is a place of active street trade, since initially Antonio da Polte, during the construction of the bridge, foreseen places for tents merchants. Here tourists can buy souvenirs for every taste.

Traveling by gondola on the Grand Canal of Venice, you can stop at St. Mark's Square. Here, except for the Doge's Palace, is the second most important landmark of the city - the Cathedral of San Marco. The magnificent structure united the chapel of the rulers of Venice and the church with the remains of St. Mark, and acquired the status of a symbol of power, political and religious history.

Santa Maria Gloriosa dei Frari - the second largest church in Venice, magnificent in its grandeur building, built by Franciscans from simple brick, has at its disposal a picture of the work of Titian and Giovanni Belinni.

There is a legend that in 1630 an epidemic of plague hit the city, and the members of the Senate, frightened by terrible prospects, vowed to the Virgin Mary to build a monument in her honor, if the city stands before a heavy test. Thus, in 1631 the church of Santa Maria de Salute was erected, whose name symbolizes health and salvation.

In addition to the famous Realto Bridge, tourists, on their way through the canal, can visit the grim bridge of sighs. Performed in the Baroque style, this bridge is a sad monument to an unhappy human being. After all, it was on this bridge, the only exit from the Doge's Palace, that people sentenced to death executed.

Among other sights of Venice, the Clock Tower, built in 1496 by the architect Mauro Coducci, is also worth mentioning, and supplemented by other masters in 1500 and 1755. On the roof of the famous chapel there are two bronze figures, which hourly, for four centuries now, have been hammering the bell with their hammers.

But not only in Venice itself, tourists have something to see. On the numerous islands adjacent to the city, other attractions are located. On the island of San Giorgio, for example, for an additional fee you can visit the monastery and the church of St. George. On the island of Torcello are the Cathedral of Santa Maria Assuan and the Church of Santa Fosca.

But for tourists who want to bring home souvenirs made by these Venetian masters, a direct road to the islands of Burano and Murano. In addition to visiting the local bell tower of St. Martin and the Basilica of San Donato, in local shops you can buy a striking beauty of handmade products made of glass and lace.

The events held in Venice every year can be compared to its scale and grandeur except that only with Brazilian carnivals. The Venice Film Festival, held in the city once a year, is trying to visit sharks of show business from around the world. During the festival, the city begins to live another life, different from the usual standard. In the air, there is a feeling of celebration, joy and unity. The Venetian carnival also amazes with its mysteriousness and splendor . It is commonly believed that this holiday flourished in the 18th century, when the colorful action took place with the obligatory attribute - a mask. With the help of masks, carnival members could hide their origin, the boundaries of estates were blurred, people were infected with the spirit of unity and power of their people. During the carnival, lasting just over a week, you can attend the balls that pass through the palace, feel like a resident of the ancient era, participate in the races of gondoliers on the Grand Canal, see various colorful performances of clowns, musicians, street actors. The grandiose action "Golden Night" is coming to the end. This is the time when the atmosphere of universal fun and permissiveness reaches its peak.

But Venice is not only famous for its sights and carnivals. Lovers of a simple, quiet holiday by the warm sea, a direct path to the island of Lido, which is famous for its hotels. Here you can stay at the hotel for every taste and purse, in Venice, as in a large tourist site, there are more than one hundred hotel names from 2 to 5 stars. Very advantageous recently was the booking of individual rooms with a common kitchen.

Arriving in Venice during such events, it should be borne in mind that prices at this time are rising significantly, so tourists should stock up additional funds to enjoy the holiday in full.

When shopping, you should know that Venice is not considered the best place to shop because of the small number of shops and high prices. However, compared to all the same Russian boutiques, Venice wins both in price and in quality of the offered goods. It is also convenient that all the shops here are concentrated on two or three main streets, and not scattered throughout the city. On Merchère, the famous shopping street, as well as on Calle Larga, departing from St. Mark's Square, you can find everything you want, and there are a lot of shops of the world's largest brands. At the bridge of Realo tourists will meet with their glass doors a large department store Coin. There are many shops and on the periphery of the city, only it should be borne in mind that, moving from the center to the outskirts, the quality of things begins to decline significantly. For example, on the street Merchera you can buy a real bag from Gucci, the cost of 1000 euros, but the street black traders, from the shops on the outskirts, Gucci for 150 euros should not be bought. In Venice, as elsewhere in the world, handicraft production of goods similar to world brands thrives.

Venice is famous for its exquisite cuisine, delicious fish dishes, Tuscan wines. But to find a really inexpensive restaurant, which really meets the requirements of a gourmet, is not very simple. It should also be taken into account that the operating mode for different establishments is also different. Some work only at lunchtime, and others until the early evening. Among the decent and inexpensive one can be called the Taverna Del Campiello. From a small, elegant restaurant, you can admire the Grand Canal, and a rich and inexpensive buffet attracts crowds of tourists. But the restaurant ends its work about seven o'clock in the evening. On the alley of San Polo is the Al Muro restaurant and bar. Its distinctive feature is the so-called "dish of the day", the restaurant is perfect for an evening Sabbath rest. On Santa Margherita there are many mini-bars and small restaurants that work in the night mode.

In general, the beautiful and romantic Venice is worth it to visit. And, I want to believe that, contrary to the pessimistic forecasts of some scientists, it will not become the second drowned Atlantis.