Venice Photos

Venice was a republic for centuries before becoming part of Italy in the 19th century.  Because of their access to the sea, Venice controlled the trade through the Mediterranean Sea during the Middle Ages.  This made the city extremely prosperous and powerful as they controlled goods and created a sea empire with control over many islands and coastal cities throughout the sea region.

The Doges Palace was the seat of political power in the city.  Upon entering the palace, there is a large courtyard that has a view of the dome of St. Mark's Basilica.

In the center of the courtyard is a well.  This well was used in medieval Venice to collect rainwater for drinking as the water of the canals in Venice are brackish with a mixture of fresh and sea water that does not allow for the water to be used for drinking.  The wells are no longer used as Venice was connected to fresh water from the Alps through aqueducts in the mid 19th century.

The ambassador's stairway was created to impress visiting dignitaries as they enter the palace.

The doges and his councilors met in this chamber covered with artwork that symbolized the trade goods available through Venice, including cloth, spices, jewels, stones, and metals.

The "throne" of the doges and the six seats of the council that was always present with the doges when they met with dignitaries or other political leaders.  The doges was always pictured as kneeling in artwork like the painting above to demonstrate that they answer to the people of Venice.

More than 200 members of aristocratic families made up the parliament and voted on the doges that were selected for life - usually from an elder member of the parliament to prevent them from ruling for too long.

The view of the lagoon from the Doges Palace.

As part of the government system, the Doges Palace was also the court house.  The palace was connected to the prison by a narrow bridge.  Below is the passage to that bridge.

The passage was known as the Bridge of Sighs and the only view that prisoner had of Venice was through windows like this one.

One of the larger prison cells, this would have held a dozen prisoner with cots for beds.

A view of the bridge from the palace

The bridge is far to the back of this picture.

St. Mark's Square is next to the Doges Palace.  The bell tower below was rebuilt after the first tower collapsed.

The building that wraps around most of the square was once used as a palace by Napoleon when he conquered Venice in the early 19th century.

St. Mark's Basilica is decorated in marble and tile mosaics in the Byzantine style that was influenced by the eastern areas that had once been the Roman Empire.

Inside, much of the tile work in the mosaics was made with glass tiles that were covered with gold leaf in a skill that the Venetians picked up in the east from their trade and travels throughout the Mediterranean Sea. 

A view of St. Mark's Basilica from the other side of the square.

I took a gondola ride through the lagoon and along the canals with a singer and accordion player.  Video of the performance can be seen on the video page.

There I am, holding on as the waves in the lagoon rocked us drastically back and forth!

The outer island of Venice is Burano, a quiet village of fisherman and lace makers. 

On the way back from Burano, we took a boat ride through the lagoon and passed many smaller islands that have since been abandoned.  Those below were part of a monastery and was surrounded by newer, man-made islands that are being created to fight the increasing incidents of flooding in Venice to break the waves of the lagoon.