By Seif Kamel
About Venice
Many cities around the world boast about being named after the famous city of Venice. There is Stockholm, the capital of Sweden, which was named Venice of the North.
Another example of these cities would be Saint Petersburg which is called the Venice of Russia and even in Los Anglos a certain beach was named Venice.
However, non of these cities can be compared to the beauty of the original Italian Venice that had some significant features that made the city play a major role in the arts, commercial, and political fields in Italy. Guests from all over the globe go on tours to Italy to enjoy their stay in Venice and many other interesting destinations in the country.
The Inspirer of Artists William Shakespeare was inspired with Venice to the extent he named one of his most famous plays “The Merchant of Venice” and when Marcel Proust, the French writer and author visited Venice, he said that when he arrived in the city he knew that his dream came true. The inhabitants of Venice and the guests of the city enjoy their lives listening to the live musical tunes coming out of the many cafes spread all over the city. Many tourists who travel to Italy would love to spend a few days in Venice.
The many narrow streets and lanes tell many tales and historical stories that note that the people of Venice used to have special celebrations to commemorate the marriage of the ruler of the city that was titled as a duke. These celebrations had specific rituals that had to be carried out according to the customs and habits of the inhabitants of Venice that is usually added to travel packages to Italy.
These rituals included throwing a rope to the Duke in the marriage day to protect him against the perfidy of sailing in the ocean and in the sea in general.
There were also a large number of legendary stories and fairy tales that were associated with the marvelous imagination of the inhabitants of Venice. Until today, people from all over the world travel to Italy to enjoy their stay in Venice
When Marco Polo, the famous traveler, arrived in Venice in the year 1925 coming from the East where he lived more than 25 years, he started telling the inhabitants of Venice many exciting and thrilling stories about the places he visited in the East and the kings and emperors he has met during his journey and this was why the people of Venice called him “the man of the million stories.”
The house of Marco Polo, which remained until today, has been transformed into a museum located in the heart of Venice and it attracts many tourists who spend their vacations in Italy.
Moreover, Venice was always the source of inspiration for many poets, musicians, and authors. Venice was where the famous German Musician Richard Wagner created many of his successful symphonies and it was where the French writer, Marcel Proust wrote many of his wonderful novels.
Many authors and thinkers have described Venice out of their own personal experience in the city. There is the library of Harry, which still exists until today that was mentioned by Ernest Miller Hemingway, the famous American author and this library has become an attraction for tourists today.
There is also Thomas Mann, the German novelist, who wrote a novel that held the name “The Death in Venice” that has become quite popular when it was published in 1912.
The Italian music composer, Claudio Monteverdi, used to create and play his best tunes under the golden arches of the Cathedral of Saint Marco in Venice. This wonderful Christian structure can be added to many custom tours to Italy.
The palaces that overlook the water cannels in Venice stands as a witness of the glorious past of Venice as if there is a large history book that is always opened in the city of Venice. This is why a lot of tourists who spend their holidays in Italy insist on visiting Venice.
About the History of Venice
The year 697 was significant in the history of Venice because this was when the ruler of Venice became the king of Venice and Genoa. However, the two cities will compete afterwards in one of the severest wars in the middle Ages. In 1927, Marco Polo, the great famous traveler, arrived to Venice coming from China. With the arrival of Marco Polo, the people living in Venice in particular, and the Europeans in general recognized the commercial rout between Europe and the Far East.
Afterwards, Venice became a part of the Italian Kingdom in 1866. This was after Venice had a great victory over Genoa in 1571 and became the dominant power in the region.
Boats used to sail from Venice to Romania every season loaded with many Mediterranean products and these boats used to land in Constantinople. Large boats coming from Beirut and Alexandria used to arrive in Venice to trade their products in the famous markets of Genoa and Venice that have become the first Italian cities to be trading with slaves and wood.
In the middle of the 13th century, the two cities of Venice and Genoa have gone through a bloody war together after some incidents. The first incident was when some people from Venice killed a group of inhabitants of Genoa who were said that they have attacked many districts in Venice. No historians or scholars were never actually sure how this war broke out between these two Italian cities, but what everybody knew that there were sever clashes between the two sides until Venice had its victory in 1263.
Venice Today
Venice, which is often also called the jewel of Italy, consists of 118 islands, 177 water Canals, and around 400 bridges of alls types and sizes. The city is capital of the county of Venice and the province of Veneto in the North Eastern section of Italy. Nowadays many travelers who are enjoying their tours in Italy would love to visit Venice
The borders of Venice have been extended in 1927 to include a large area of land around the Lake of Venice and 118 islands that are situated around the lake. The inhabitants of Venice are estimated to be around 320 thousand people who live mainly around the major canal of the city that takes the shape “S”. The buildings and different structures of Venice were constructed in the Romanesque style of architecture that was spread in the middle Ages in the period of Romans and the Byzantines. The travelers who visit Venice as part of their group tours to Italy are fond with the architecture of the city. A narrow street connects the major piece of land of Venice with the historical section of the city where most of the islands are located. Several affordable tours to Italy would include a visit to Venice.
Venice has a huge wonderful program of entertainment for its guests that include many theatre and cinema performances. This is besides the famous opera performances of Verdi, Rossini, and Stravinsky. |
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