Why is Venice Built on Water?
There is debate on this, but the general consensus is that around 600 AD, Italians who were fleeing attacks from Lombard invaders moved out onto the islands of Venice because they could defend themselves better on the islands. The islands were marshy and difficult to build on, but much easier to defend than being on the mainland. In order to prevent anything that was built on the marsh from predictably sinking, the Venetians drove millions of wooden posts into the marsh. These posts compacted the mud. The mud keeps the posts from decomposing and the combination of the mud and posts makes a solid foundation on which to build. Strip the City does a great job demonstrating how this worked in the video below.
Venice Becomes a Trade Empire
For much of the time between the 9th Century and the 16th Century, Venice was uniquely positioned to take advantage of trade routes. Venice had access to Constantinople as well as Alexandria by ship and was able to unload goods onto the European mainland. This allowed them to sell goods throughout Europe. Venice built a powerful navy in order to protect their merchants from pirates in the Mediterranean Sea. This turned Venice into a vital link between the spice and silk trade of Asia and Medieval Europe where those goods were so valuable. The Smithsonian Magazine has a great article which goes into greater depth on this subject.
Wealth Produces Art
One thing that always seems to be the case throughout history, is that where there is great wealth, there is great art. The vast trading empire of Venice was creating an amazing amount of wealth amongst its merchants. That wealth created a market for artwork, since having great artwork is generally a way that many wealthy people demonstrate that they are wealthy and successful. There are a number of famous renaissance artists from Venice, including Giovanni Bellini, Vittore Carpaccio, Giorgione, and Titian.
We typically think of painting when we think of art. But art is evident throughout Venice. You see it in the architecture, the stonework and the ironwork on buildings. You see it in the statues and even in the beauty of the gondolas that seem to glide through the canals.
The Architecture of Venice
As was just about everything in Venice, the architecture of Venice was influenced by its trading partners. Because Venice was trading with people throughout Europe and into the Byzantine Empire, a new form of architecture emerged in Venice. It is known as Venetian Gothic and it is found throughout Venice and has elements of Gothic architecture such as pointed arches, rib vaults and tracery as well as elements of Byzantine architecture such as the use of domes and veneers. These elements created a unique style that can be seen throughout Venice.
The vast majority of buildings are obviously not as adorned as St. Mark’s Basilica, but even the typical homes in Venice have a certain flair to them. There are a number of Juliet balconies, windows featuring tracing and pointed arches, and a lot of lovely doors. There are also window boxes with flowers everywhere. It all leads to a style that is positively Venetian.
The Doors of Venice
One of my favorite things about Venice is the doors. They all seem to be unique to the buildings. A lot of them are wooden and very worn with time. Often you see them like in the below picture, with beautiful stonework and ironwork surrounding the doorframe.
Other times, you see doors which are not quite as worn, but instead are truly unique pieces of art, like this beautiful metal door. This door also has beautiful stonework surrounding it as well as some really interesting brickwork.
Below is another example of great stonework and brickwork surrounding the door. Also, this door is a gorgeous piece of woodwork. Another thing I’ve noticed about Venetian doors is that not always is the lock and door pull where you would expect them which is interesting. Venetian doors also tend to all have letter slots.
Venetian Statues
If you walk around enough in Venice, you will undoubtably come across a few statues. Many of the campos in Venice feature a statue dedicated to a historical figure of Venice. From the limited amount of time I spent in Venice, it seemed that the majority of these statues were fairly recent, being from the 19th Century or newer. However, in my opinion, they fit in nicely to their surroundings, even if they are recent additions to the plazas they inhabit.
The above statue is a bronze statue of Daniele Manin, who was born in Venice and an important leader who helped to reunify Italy. It is the featured statue in Campo Manin, obviously named for the Daniele Manin.
The statue above, is a built out of Carrara marble. It was a monument built to Niccoló Tommaseo who was known as a scholar and an Italian patriot. This particular statue has a funny nickname, because as the sculptor was carving the statue, it began to have structural issues. In order to keep it from falling over, he carved a stack of books for Niccoló to lean on. The problem is that the stack of books looks like it’s flowing from under his overcoat, which has earned the statue the nickname “book shitter”.
The Bridges of Venice
Virtually all bridges in Venice are built with the same basic shape. The strength is created by an archway over the canal, while a walkway is a set of stairs up and a set of stairs down. Many of the bridges, especially the ones that are built over smaller canals are built with stone and brick.
The bridges that are built over the Grand Canal are longer and require a more modern structural design. The most modern example is the Constitution Bridge that was opened in 2008 and is unique in Venice for it’s steel and glass construction and modern design.
Artistic Touches
There is a certain flair to much of what you run across in Venice, you’ll see it in door frames, window frames, as well as architectural sculptures. You’ll also see it in the detail of the three flagpoles in the Piazza San Marco. The bronze bases were sculpted by Alessandro Leopardi in 1505. The flagpoles are spaced out in front of the St. Marks Basilica and are strikingly beautiful.
St Mark’s Clocktower is also a great example of the style of Venice. It’s an beautiful white stone structure, with the Lion of St Mark near the top. Below that is the Virgin with Child and then the clockface itself. This clocktower was built as a replacement for an older clocktower in the late 15th Century.
St. Mark’s Basilica itself takes the details to extremes. There are details everywhere. Just one small section of the basilica demonstrates the details. There are multiple columns and a stone archway. The door itself has intricate ironwork while the head of the doorframe is an intricate Byzantine design. The most stunning part, however is the mosaic half-dome which depicts the moment that St Mark’s body was carried into the Basilica. It is adorned in 24 carat gold leaf. Seemingly every inch of the Basilica is covered in detail like this.
Ironwork of Venice
Venice has some amazing Ironwork that can be found around the city. Mostly you will see it in gates, fences and balconies, but you will also see it on lamp posts.
The most typical places that you see this ironwork is as window grills or as door protections. I’m sure that the original purpose of this was for security, however they do tend to be very beautiful and add a certain flair to an already beautiful city.
The Canals of Venice
Canals aren’t necessarily art themselves, but in reality they are the parts of Venice that weren’t forced to become solid ground. They are, in a sense, the absence of development. But they are also the main thoroughfares that are the lifeblood of Venice. They are the roads that deliver the goods that feed the city as well as transport citizens and tourists alike around the city.
The canals, themselves, are semi-manmade. Obviously, since Venice was built in a marsh, the water was there naturally. But the wooden pilings that were placed in the marsh to create the solid ground on which Venice’s buildings were built determine the edge of that water. Also, there is a significant amount of maintenance on the canals that maintain the depth of those canals.
The canals are quintessentially Venice and are usually the first things that people think of when they picture the city. They are more a result of public works, much as any street in the world is, but there is just something uniquely beautiful about these canals. I believe that beauty is a result of how well the canals fit in with their surroundings.
Centuries of Artisans create a Single Masterpiece
In the end, what Venice has become is the result of centuries of hard work by thousands upon thousands of hard working Venetian citizens. Great cities take time to evolve. Venice was a city built in the marsh because of the need for security of its citizens. It developed slowly but steadily into a trading empire and it’s citizens became wealthy. As the city developed, they continued to make improvement after improvement, whether it be public works projects like bridges and canals, architectural and building projects, or artisan projects like statues, doors and ironwork.
In the end what is left is a single masterpiece that people from around the world visit and admire. It is one of the world’s great cities and should be experienced at least once in a lifetime.
Newby to Expert Traveler 