Venice, Italy

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Many of you must have seen a few cities and liked them, but have you ever fell in love with any of them the minute you saw them? I have! It’s called VENICE!  It’s the most spectacular city, full of glamour, charm, romance...THE QUEEN of all cities!

What makes it particular is the fact that it’s built on water and we can’t say it has only some points of interest as every square inch has it’s special history, it’s artistic characteristics. Visiting San Marco square, where we can see the splendid Byzantine basilica and the Doge’s Palace’s palace, we would be tempted to say that it’s the most beautiful part of the city, but heading towards other parts as well we are equally fascinated by their marvelous particularity.

Every of the six quarters of the city: Castello, Cannaregio, San Marco, Dorsoduro, San Polo and Santa Croce has it’s special history.

You can choose between only some ways of visiting the city (the only vehicles allowed in the city are the boat and the bicycle), you can walk, take a boat that functions mainly like a bus having its routes , by bike or of course the most romantic way is taking the  “gondola “. No matter which of them we choose, the city will open before our eyes in all its splendor.

One of the most superb panoramas of the city is the one offered by Canal Grande from Santa Lucia basilica towards Rialto Bridge till Piazza San Marco. The exquisite palaces of a special artistic beauty, illustrate an entire history of the great Venetian family.

A particular attraction, or better said a unique one, is the “gondola”: it has been a part of Venice since 11th century. With its slim and hull and flat underside, the craft is perfectly adapted to negotiating narrow, shallow canals. There is a slight leftward curve to the prow, which counteracts the force of the oat, preventing the gondola from going around in circles. The gondola or traghetti( ships) are a convenient way of crossing the Grand canal.

The Rialto Bridge is a magnet for the visitors. It takes its name from “riva alto” (high bank) and was one of the first areas of Venice to be inhabited. It was built at the beginning of the12th century, but was really finished in 1591, and was the only means of crossing the Grand Canal until 1854 when the Academia Bridge was built. The Rialto Bridge is a wonderful place to watch and photograph the constant activity of gondolas and boats on the canal.

Among the many palaces, the most renowned being The Doge’s Palace, we find many churches that welcome the visitors to a sacred Christian world comprising periods from Byzantine till our days.

Other tourist attractions in the Venetian Laguna is The Murano island known as the island of the most precious glass, the diamond of all glass, where the ancient art of making glass succeeds in shaping this marvelous material in various artistic shapes with a price equal to its quality.

Today as yesterday Venice still draws visitors from everywhere, all of them wishing to experience its elusive dream-like ambience. Do you want to be a part of it?