We eventually made it to the Rialto bridge - and it was packed with tourists and vendors:
The Rialto was the first bridge built to span the grand canal and has been re-built 2 times with the current version dating back to 1588. We looked in some of the stores on the bridge and found a gondola charm for Leslie's charm bracelet.
We took another of Rick Steves' walks from the Rialto to the Frari church - walking past the Rialto Market, and down the Rughetta Ruga where we stopped at the Antica Osteria Ruga Rialto Pub to have a glass of house wine. The pub is a locals hangout and we were there around lunch time. As we sat at the bar, we saw the place fill up with locals who must have been on a lunch break. They talked amongst themselves and with the bartender, which made for a very Cheer-type moment. To me it seemed like these same people probably came in here every day for food, spirits, and companionship, while on this day, Candice and I were some random flys on the wall. We were going to peek into the Church of San Silvestro to catch a glimpse of Tintoretto's "Babtism of Christ" but it was closed to tourists on this Sunday. Further down the Ruga, we poked our heads into the Church of San Polo as it was highlighted on the walk and contains another Tintoretto, "The Last Supper," but we didn't stay as it didn't seem worth it to pay 2.5 Euro each for basically just one painting. Winding through a few side streets, bridges, and a square, and after donating some coin to a guy playing a lute in the square, we finally found the Frari Church.
The prize here is Titian's "Assumption of Mary" behind the altar:
To give an idea of the scale of the altar, the Titian is 22 feet tall!
Also in the church is Titian's tomb:
An intricate choir section of carved wood:
The church also holds a Donatello wooden statue of John the Baptist, another Titian, "Madonna of Ca' Pesaro," and Bellini's "Madonna and Child with Saints and Angels."
(Sorry, no pics)
We left the Frari Church and took a vaporetto back to St. Marks to see the Basillica, Campanile, and Doge's Palace.
The Basillica, originally built in the 9th century after St. Mark's remains were "rescued" from Alexandria, Egypt and brought to Venice, was rebuilt in the 11th century after burning down in 976. St. Mark (as in Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John) was made the patron saint of the city - and his symbol, the winged lion is seen all over the city. Here's the Basillica:
The rebuilt basilica was modeled after a 6th century church in Constantinople. The horses that guard the balcony over the entrance were "collected" from Constantinople during the 4th Crusades (these are copies, the originals are inside). Their exact age is unknown, but it is believed they were created in the time of Alexander the Great, then taken by Nero to Rome, and then by Constantine to the new Roman capitol in Constantinople, and then stolen by the Venetians and placed here. Then Napoleon herded them to Paris after he captured Venice in 1797. When Napoleon lost power, they were returned to St. Mark's.
Inside the Basilica are amazing mosaics dating to the 13th century - including one of Noah's Arc and the Great Flood. It's HUGE - and each mosaic piece is less than half an inch in size - imagine the work put into a mosaic that is over 4700 square yards!
Next up was the Campanile bell tower. The bell tower actually collapsed in 1902 and, luckily for us was rebuilt with an elevator! At the top of the hour the bells ring very loudly whether or not there are people up there. The view was outstanding:
On over to the Doge's palace - location of Venetian government led by a Doge (basically an elected king) for over 400 years as the most powerful city in Europe (1150 - 1450). The palace contains a grand courtyard with a stone staircase guarded by Mars and Neptune (we agreed with Rick Steves and think they look like Paul Newman and Moses)
No photo's inside - but the palace contains paintings from Venice's greatest artists: Titian, Veronese, and Tintoretto. We were led up a golden stair case, through giant reception rooms and antichambers where politicians and heads of state would congregate as they came to meet the governing body of Venice. All of the ceilings are painted or frescoed with incredible renaissance themes. The hall of the Grand Council is 175 feet by 80 feet and could hold up to 2600 people at a time. On one wall is the largest oil painting in the world, Tintoretto's Paradise.
The Palace had it's own prison - across a canal connected by a covered bridge called the Bridge of Sighs - famous for the little window through which prisoners brought to the cells would peer for their last look at Venice.
Dinner at Agli Artisti Pizzeria - just a local place on some random back alley side street we happened upon while wandering through Venice looking for another restaurant rated highly by Zagat. I had pizza, but don't remember Candice's meal and we shared a half liter of house wine. It was good and inexpensive - just what we needed!
The walk back led to a crappy gondola ride - and a total waste of money. The Gondolier was an out of shape old man who took us down dark canals and occasionally pointed out some famous houses - Marco Polo's for instance - took 3 phone calls on his cell, lit up several smokes, and wheezed his way around the canals. Our mistake for not talking to him more in advance and asking about the route. Perhaps we should have wandered over closer to the Rialto where there was more competition for sucker tourist money. oh well. Here's our gondolier:
On our way back to the hotel, went by St. Mark's Square and noticed that it was flooded! We heard that it happens often - but it was still neat to see.
Up early the next morning to catch our train to Vernazza!
