Venice-Italy's Pride

The city of Venice is unique in the entire world. A port city, Venice is built directly on canals. Venice is truly a city of explorers and among its most popular citizens was Marco Polo. It is also an important location as far as the shipping fraternity is concerned. Tourists to this city are always in awe of its rich history and beauty.

If you are interested in visiting a unique section of Italy, look no further than the fantastic Northern Italian city of Venice. Just like any other section of the country, Venice has a distinct style in art, architecture, food, and people. Since it was so prevalent in the shipping routes, Venice has a unique Turkish flair, incorporating Byzantine designs into architecture and coating every available surface with gold.

San Marco or St. Mark's Basilica is the fantastic edifice that was restored for the Jubilee year of 2000 and is now more breathtaking than ever! With all the gold, mosaics, and carvings freshly cleaned, San Marco is a sight worth seeing. The building is famous all over the world for the four horses that stand guard over the basilica. It is said that these four equines originally came from Constantinople, and were subsequently looted by Napoleon Bonaparte. They were returned years later in 1815.

The piazza were the basilica is situated is just as famous as the building itself. Known for its tremendous pigeon population, this square is lined with arcades on either side that provide protection for the bird-shy tourists. Don’t miss out on the beautiful Doge’s Palace and all the shops that also call the square home.

A city built on canals and lagoons would no doubt have an abundance of bridges. But the "Bridge of Sighs" takes the cake. You can easily see this bridge from the Grand Canal, as it is located straight near the Piazza San Marco. The bridge is so called because prisoners used to pass through this beautiful 17th century bridge to reach their cells.

The Rialto Bridge along the Grand Canal is the next famous bridge in Venice. There are shops along both sides of this famous bridge, and you can purchase a bevy of Venetian goods from these. There is also a legend attached to this bridge for eternal lovers. It goes on like this. If you take a ride in one of the famous gondolas and kiss your lover while under this bridge, you two would remain in love forever.

Gondolas are the historic long black boats navigated by striped shirted gondoliers in the narrow canals using only a pole and a master's knowledge of the canal system. Most of these gondoliers will sing a song for you but they do expect to be tipped generously.

You must have heard of the world famous Murano glass. This is manufactured in Venice. Some of the world's biggest glass companies are located in Murano, a tiny island not far from the Piazza San Marco. A visit to these factories would be a great learning experience for you, as you would see how these masterful craftsmen shape molten glass into beautiful things.

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