Holiday in Venice
The unique and historic city
of Venice, once among the Mediterranean's most powerful states, lies in a
salt-water lagoon at the head of the Adriatic Sea off the northeastern
coast of Italy. Protected from the open sea by the islands of the Lido
and Pellestrina, the lagoon is scoured by twice-daily tides and criss-crossed
by navigable channels that provide water access to the outlying inhibited
islands, such as Murano, Burano, and Sant'Erasmo. The city proper lies in
the heart of the lagoon and, since 1846, has been linked to the mainland
by a causeway carrying both trains and vehicles.
Venice is built on more than
100 small islands, divided from one another by numerous canals that are
spanned by over 400 bridges. The main canal is Canale Grande (Grand
Canal), a substantial waterway, lined with superb palaces, churches, and
monuments, which snakes for 2.5 miles (4 km) through the heart of Venice
dividing the northern and southern city areas. To the north lie the three
sestiere (city quarters) of San Marco, Castello, and Cannaregio;
three more, Dorsoduro, San Polo, and Santa Croce are sited on the
southern side of the Grand Canal.
Venice Carnival (Carnevale)
Between the 16th and 18th
centuries, the Venice Carnival (known locally as carnevale), was the most
outrageous in Europe; a frenetic explosion of partying and carousing,
when the fun lasted all week. During this time the city thronged with
masked and costumed revelers, dancing and singing in the streets,
watching free entertainments in the city's campi (squares),
drinking, eating, gambling, and playing games. Behavior was outrageous,
masks and disguises providing the anonymity that enabled the normally
rigidly divided social classes to mingle freely. Dressed in a black hood,
voluminous cape, and a mask, it was even difficult to tell men and women
apart, and people could do as they pleased while remaining incognito.
The 1797 abolition of the
Carnevale was a bitter blow, but all was not lost, for in the early 1980s
the tourist board and city authorities re-instituted Carnevale as a means
of attracting visitors at the quietest time of the year. Carnevale has
been a resounding success, and in the 10 days leading up to Lent, there
are once again masked and elaborately costumed figures in the streets.
Palazzi are resplendently lit for balls and dinners and the
celebrations culminate with the traditional burning of an effigy in the
Piazza San Marco.
