Staying afloat in Venice
Venice is a stunning city. It’s also stunningly impractical.
You can’t spend time in Venice without noticing its symbiotic connection to water. Our first introduction to this idea was on the train ride from Milan — the last five minutes zip along a thin, man-made railroad bridge between the Italian mainland and Venice. After riding in trains that crawled through the flat farmlands of Italy, it was a surreal experience to suddenly see an infinite ocean out both windows. On arrival, we hoisted on our backpacks and mapped out a route to the bed & breakfast. During the twenty minute walk, we crossed six pedestrian bridges. Venice is composed of 118 islands, narrowly separated by a web of shallow canals.
Venice has a long history of living life in harmony with the water. Matt and I spent one of our days in Venice touring two restored palazzos (“palaces”). Palazzos were large homes owned by wealthy families, typically constructed in three floors: one to entertain guests, one to house the family, and one for the kitchen and servants. Most were constructed in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. The walls were covered with commissioned oil paintings, the ceilings plastered with religious frescos by Venetian masters. The most affluent families owned a palazzo directly on the Grand Canal, the largest waterway snaking through the center of town. Canal-side, you can easily spot several striped poles bearing the family colors — a place for servants to dock the family’s boat for transit around town.
In modern day Venice, every home, shop and street you see is ready for flooding. But unlike the rest of the world, this preparation is not “just in case” disaster strikes. It is guaranteed to happen — up to 50% of the city commonly becomes submerged in water about four times during a winter season. Since we visited in November, we saw many main streets stacked with “duckboards” in preparation for creating elevated walkways. For exceptionally high tides, called acqua alta, sirens go off and automated text messages alert locals.
One of my favorites aspects of travel is learning what “normal” is for people who live there. Matt and I learned the most about this from our hostess at the bed and breakfast, Monica.
She told us that there are no cars allowed in Venice, but it doesn’t bother her. It’s easy to walk around or hop on a vaporetto (“public ferry”). We nodded knowingly — Matt and I were happy enough without a car in San Francisco too. However, the lack of cars has larger ramifications in Venice. For example, Monica explained that in low tide many of the canals become impassable by boats. The Grand Canal remains navigable but can drop to only two meters. While Matt and I were riding a vaporetto on the Grand Canal earlier in the day, we saw an emergency boat fly by. We asked Monica what families do if an emergency occurs in low tide. She smiled slyly and said, “Hope they live close to the Grand Canal.”
I wonder what Venice’s fate will be? With sea levels on the rise, coastal metropolises like Venice will be forced to rework themselves once more. When will producing taller duckboards no longer be enough? While an impractical city in many ways, Venice has adapted itself relentlessly to always stay afloat. With abundant fresh seafood, charming canal views, and plentiful palazzos, it was well worth a visit.
Today, we board a train to the region most famous for food…Emilia-Romagna. Next stop: Bologna!
Katie
