Go with the flow in Venice

Oct 29 2010 By Alison Jones

Venice may be deluged when the tide comes in, but its fine architecture is worth getting your feet wet for, says Alison Jones.

We were expecting water. This was Venice after all, where the travel options on the main island are limited to something that floats or walking.

What we hadn’t anticipated was being calf-deep in lagoon water in the middle of Piazza San Marco.

There had been large puddles in the square before we went up the Campanile, a legacy, we thought, of the thunderstorm that morning.

However, when we came down from the landmark tower the area in front was impassable. The only solution was to take off our shoes, roll up our jeans and wade through it until we reached dry land. In this case one of the little cafés (among them Caffé Florian, reputedly Europe’s first coffee house) beneath the cloisters that surround the square.

It had actually struck 12 noon while we were at the top of the tower and one of the bells – the nona – had started pealing away. It was exhilarating to watch, though fortunately not as deafening as one might have expected.

The 323 ft tower has served as lighthouse, bell tower and torture chamber. Built in the 16th century it collapsed at the beginning of the 20th (fortunately without injury to anyone) and was painstakingly rebuilt.

From the top, reached by lift, it offers views across the city. There were boards pointing out significant buildings or you could rent a phone-like device that fed you the information directly.

These handheld translators can be hired at most of the significant tourist sites but usually required a “deposit” of a credit card, driver’s licence or passport.

When we came down from the tower it appeared another visitor had been handed back the wrong passport, which made us consider which of these, in a pinch, we’d be prepared to lose.

Posters surrounding the tower revealed what was being done to try and combat the flooding problem which, though exacerbated by rain, was actually caused by the rising tide or aqua alta (high water), as it is known.

It happened regularly during our stay, even on sunny days, and lasted an hour or so. Some enterprising stall holders were selling plastic bags shaped like boots with plastic grips on the bottom so people didn’t have to go barefoot in dirty water.

The Venetians are used to dealing with the inconvenience and took preventative measures, closing the front of the Basilica, putting down wooden duck boards and sending tourists in via the side entrance.

The cathedral, which was first built in the ninth century, then rebuilt after it was burned down and demolished during a revolt in the 10th, served as the chapel to the Doge, whose palace is next door.

It was laid out in the shape of a Greek cross and was as lavishly decorated on the inside as it was ornate on the outside. The interior was quite dark due to the limited number of windows but the domed ceilings glittered with spectacular gold mosaics