Feelings of the Day: It's nice to do something you meant to do before. Today’s something wasn’t necessary, but a really cool thing to experience. Coupled with other optional things, the day turned out to be memorable and momentous for the quantity and quality of experiences that happened. If only there were less tourists.
Full Day’s Activities: I awoke with a health meter above my head indicating 95%. The past two more restful days, and pharmacy cold fighting powder, have worked. I was off to four islands, but first I needed a vaporetto (water bus). I missed out on the islands I was visiting today, 14 years ago, due to illness because I ate uncleaned fish without knowing it was unclean until I ate it. Hint: Having the inner organs still inside does not make it “stuffed”.
First stop is Saint Michael Island which has only been used as a graveyard since Napoleon invaded. Before this, people were buried in churches or under paving stones. This is a problem with flooding happening often. The island cemetery was two islands but the gap was filled in and Saint Michael is still expanded today, when required.
The only one to disembark, I walked around the different sections of the island. The amount of lush and well cared for trees and other greenery, paired with an army of caretakers rotating their attention section by section, indicated the seriousness the Venetians had for their dead. Bird calls between their own and other species accompanied me as I wandered. It was an excellent counterpoint to the hustle of Venice.
Also, photography is forbidden for cemetery services and the mortuary police. I expanded that to include people paying their respects. The few pictures I did take were of nature and the unusual graves and tombs of different eras. The stories that these dead were telling, based on where they now lay, how they were interred, and the pictures they chose - or were chosen - for their markers, were infinite. Regardless of the season they waited for someone to visit and listen to their past. I recommend a visit to see this special place.
I was here for 90 minutes and was at the vaporetto dock in time to catch the vaporetto for the next stop, Murano. Inhabited since Roman times, it moved from fishing to trade to having all the glassmakers forced to move here in 1291 because of concerns of fire. Eventually the prominence of the glassmaking industry meant they were not allowed to leave the Republic of Venice. The quality of their mirrors, beads, and Aventurine glass made them the main provider of those products throughout Europe.
The buildings of Murano are less tall and densely packed. The canals are also thinner. They do have shops in abundance, almost all involving artistic glass, but I had to be careful on which one I chose. Even in Murano there are shops that sell glass made elsewhere in Italy, Europe, and farther afield. You could tell the worse ones because they all looked like the many clones previously seen in Venice or here. Hesitant to walk into the first one I saw, I walked into the best reviewed place on my research sheet: Vetreria Franco Schiavon Gallery. I was glad I did.
Upon entering I chatted with one of the curators of the establishment. He could tell I was interested in the technique and art of the glassmaking process, or just good at subtle flattery. Throughout our conversation he took me through the displays on the ground level, glassmaking area, and a few of the galleries upstairs. During his time with me, I could tell when he transitioned from helpful curator to helpful salesperson. I didn’t mind this, but he seemed to think that although I was interested in some items, like the Kuma sculpture entitled Oasis for 20k euros or the owner’s DNA sculpture for 7k euros, I do not have that kind of disposable income for those items in a household with two cats.
I started to indicate that I didn’t need to see anymore, as I was here for 90 minutes enjoying the multitude of artful variety on display from the many exceptional craftspeople employed here. I recommend visiting this place, which was the only glassmaking shop I visited on Murano, as long as you can withstand a medium strength soft sell.
For lunch I had some cicchetti at Osteria ai cacciatori: ham with grilled pepperoni, shrimp and ginger, and a third with spicy ham and cheese. After using the washroom, and still a little hungry, I ordered a spinach and ricotta pita like sandwich to go while walking to the ferry dock to Burano…which is when I knew I made a mistake. Turns out many others had the same idea to do just that.
The line up was immense and only one ferry every thirty minutes. I put on a mask, to protect others and myself, and waited twenty minutes for the next one. It got full from the folks who paid for express tickets and now I had to wait for the next one. Again, being here a few weeks earlier would have made all the difference with less tourists. At least I had my physical travel diary, to make notes on previous days, to catch up.
Once on Burano, I immediately went to the nearby dock to take the much smaller ferry for Torcello. There were barely people there waiting, the ferries were frequent, and I wanted to be around small groups of people for a while. A short 10-minute wait, a 10-minute trip, and I was on Torcello.
People started coming here in 452 CE and it was one of the first lagoon islands to be populated from mainland Italy, by folks who didn’t want to be affected by barbarian invasions. It is also the island where the people of Venice came from. A church, then cathedral, was built here and it was the seat of Venetian religious influence for over a millennia. Although it doesn’t look like it today, twenty thousand people once called the island of Torcello home, thanks to their salt production from the marshes. Once the inhabitants were hit by plague, a lowering of the land, and a reciprocal increase of swamp land in the 1300’s the people left for other islands. Now only 10 folks permanently live on Torcello.
From the ferry dock it was a pleasant 10-minute walk along a thin canal with farmland on the other side, to the cultural area. I passed by three restaurants along the water, but was immune to their charms as I already ate. I invited the birds, warm sun, cool wind, and a small amount of people to calm me during my relaxing stroll. Passing a devil’s bridge, I saw ahead the tall stone tower, then the cathedral, baptistry, two small museum buildings, and two old houses with items to sell. There was also an artist and food booths. Both proprietors seemed to be more interested in chatting with each other than promoting their wares. It was that kind of nice day. Even a cat inhabitant was resting on a stone bench in the sun.
Heading into the side of the Cathedral, I paid for my all-inclusive ticket. The tall tower was first. Now you know, and have read in previous posts, that I don’t like heights. I can, however, suspend it for the right goal. Wanting the expansive views of this origin island, surrounding islands, and to take good zoom shots with my wife’s zoom camera I had many goals. I also know that if she was here, she would be heading up with or without me.
With her virtual presence and encouragement, I ascended, staying away from the hollow interior, and remained as calm as I could. The rough upward slope is interrupted by stairs at the corners. Once I reached the top I leant away from the edge and looked around, enjoying what I could see. The great weather made long distance viewing a treat.
With my cell phone slowly drawn out and gripped firmly, I proceeded around the bell while extending my arms to have the lens look through the metal mesh. That done, I returned it to my man bag and drew out her Lumix super zoom camera to take better framed pictures of the other islands and some of distant Venice. My wife would be proud.
Descending, I took a water break and headed into the Cathedral of Santa Maria Assunta, founded in 639. No pictures were allowed so I took in the mosaics, woodwork, and art that I could see because renovations were being done in the back third. The medieval museum building, housed in the remnant of an old palazzo, had some interesting bits but the painted art in the top floor was a dimmer sibling to what I have seen during my trip.
The archeological museum next door, also in a remnant of a palazzo, was phenomenal for its small size. Here you will find items found in the Venetian lagoon from prehistoric, Greek, Roman, and early-medieval times. It was opened in 1889 and its findings enlarged as new items were found. I was enthralled and lingered here looking at the things past cultures left behind.
Continued in part b.
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