The Wykehamist
The Venice Trip
“ Venice is like eating an entire box of chocolate liqueurs in one go.”
Truman Capote
Anton Oliver( H, 2021-): I have never eaten an entire box of chocolate liqueurs in one go, but Truman Capote gives me quite the idea of what it is like. Venice, with its beautiful harmony between the Byzantine, Gothic, Renaissance, Baroque, and Neoclassical in art as in architecture is something to behold. Whatever photos you may see will never be able to do it justice. Having experienced it first hand, the amalgam of styles, of the old and slightly less old makes you feel good about what humans can create if enough money is involved. Money, money, money: that’ s all that Venice has ever rested on( excluding the underground support pillars of course).
We were very fortunate that during our visit, Venice had good weather. A picture perfect sky, giving us sun when we needed it and shade under the clouds when we wanted a break, keeping the temperature balanced between 15 and 20 degrees every day. We arrived in the afternoon of the Sunday and had some time to get used to our rooms, choose beds and unpack. The rooms we were staying in were fascinating. Paintings on every wall and ceiling, with the one in the biggest room covered in a big sheet of plywood that looked ready to collapse onto sleeping victims at any time. The rooms had balconies, giving views over the quaint little canals that flowed past the former palazzo. Everything seemed so quiet despite the accommodation being so close to the heaving action of the centre. Once squabbles over who would sleep where were resolved we went for our first proper walk through Venice. We had seen a little on the way from the Alilaguna airport waterbus stop, but had not appreciated it as it was only a means to get to the destination. Our first stop was to see the Piazza San Marco, only for a short time though as we were to visit it again on the next day with a more full explanation of the architecture around us. The main aim of our first outing was the Arsenale, Venice’ s shipyard, and a place where it was said to have been possible to build a ship a day, due to its unique and revolutionary production line approach. Having been introduced to the lines that guard the gate and the quantities of wine consumed by its workers, non-art historians were sent away for a little longer moment of respite before dinner, while EACR and REJF’ s eager bunch were subjected to renaissance lingo and intensive interrogation about their knowledge of Byzantine columns. On their return, the segregation was reversed and all joined together for our first Italian dinner. What else would it be than pizza? Beautiful, fresh, soft, thick-crusted pizza. And wine.
The next morning, after the hostel’ s take on what constitutes a shower, breakfast was served and the group gathered. Today we would get an overview of some of Venice’ s most famous spots. The tour started at the Piazza San Marco, for the closer look that we had been promised the day before. EACR and REJF explained something about Romanesque architecture and how this was one of the best examples of whatever it was in the world. Riveting stuff. Our next move was into the church of San Marco: perhaps the most iconic symbol of this city. It really is something to marvel at. Gold on the outside, on the inside and everywhere in between. Mosaic placed into the walls, ceilings, and floors, depicting saints( often this was St Mark the evangelist), scenes from the bible,
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