Since our flight arrived in Treviso and we still had plenty of time in the day, we decided not to rush straight away, but to take a walk in this cozy little town. I really liked the calm, patinated atmosphere of Treviso with its canals and medieval walls. It was a real refreshment before the hustle and bustle of the big city. After a pleasant, leisurely breakfast – where we finally tasted real Italian coffee and fresh pastries – we walked to the train station and continued our journey by train to Venice Santa Lucia station to begin our adventure in the city of waters.
Venice
The main purpose of our trip was a long weekend in Venice, the city of water and palaces. Our accommodation was an incredibly pleasant, typical Venetian apartment, just a few minutes from St. Mark’s Square, so we felt like we were in the heart of the city. We walked a lot during the day, got lost in the labyrinth of bridges and narrow alleys, and although we visited all the famous attractions, the greatest experience was the incomparable atmosphere of the city floating on water.
The fame and art of Murano confronted us in every single Venetian alley. We stood mesmerized in front of the shop windows, where glass products in every color of the rainbow were lined up: from graceful, gold-rimmed goblets to modern jewelry to incredibly detailed glass figures. This special craft moved to the neighboring island in 1291, when the city government banned fire-hazardous furnaces from densely built-up Venice. The knowledge of glassblowers was such a treasure that the masters were forbidden to leave the republic under penalty of death, lest they take their secret technologies abroad. There, standing in front of the shop windows, you could feel the centuries-old expertise that makes each piece unique and unrepeatable.
Walking through the streets of Venice, special masks looked at us from every shop window, evoking the atmosphere of the world-famous Venice Carnival. Wearing masks was originally not only about fun, but also ensured a kind of social equality: hiding behind the costume, ranks and differences disappeared, and both nobles and beggars could mix freely. The most famous types, such as the long-nosed “plague doctor” or the mysterious black “bautta”, are still symbols of the city today, evoking the splendor and mysteries of the Baroque era.
During the two days we spent here, we managed to get a little taste of what it must have been like to live in the world’s greatest and most powerful trading city.
