It is hard to imagine a city that has no vehicles, relies on boats for transportation, was practically built on water in the center of a lagoon, is visited by millions of tourists each year, and yet still manages to be as enchanting as cities without such obstacles. Describing Venice with words is difficult. Charming, historical, bewitching, frustrating—no word is fully able to encompass the complexity that is Venice. To quote an expert wordsmith, Truman Capote once said, “Venice is like eating an entire box of chocolate liqueurs in one go.” And that is really the heart of it. Venice is a city of indulgences, from the exorbitant price of an espresso and croissant at Caffé Florian in Piazza San Marco, to the visual feast of intricate ironwork and masonry seen around every corner. The people are beautiful and precisely dressed, the building swathed in rainbow colors accented with flower boxes.
In the midst of all this richness, it would be easy to assume the people would be huffy, rude and unhelpful. Instead, I found Venetians to be kind, going above and beyond the call of duty to help me. I have to say, their compassion for a road weary and nonnative tourist was astounding. I arrived to Venice with severe blisters, and after having a house visit from a local doctor, I was ready to go the farmacia to purchase my prescriptions. Note to the uninformed: stuff closes in Italy on the weekends. After walking around Venice for 30 minutes and failing to find an open pharmacy, I resorted to asking a local store clerk. Apparently every pharmacy lists the open ones on a sheet in the window in Italian, the clerk said. When I told her I couldn’t read it, she swiftly rose from her seat, turned off the lights, locked the door, and proceeded to the pharmacy where she read the sign for us. She had no obligation to do this. There was no guarantee I’d buy anything, and yet she helped me. When I asked her why, she said, “Because if I were visiting your home, I hope someone would help me, should I need it.”
Venice can easily seem like an amusement park, with locals merely acting as employees that help tourists “enjoy the ride”. The Venetian people don’t live to serve tourists, and if you want to observe the locals in their natural habitat and enjoy a feast for the senses, Piazza San Marco is the place to go. In the evenings, the Piazza provides a glimpse of the Venetian lifestyle. The lights reflect on the well-worn pavers. The outdoor quartet of Caffé Florian is on the right, the water of the lagoon on the left. Air smelling faintly of salt mingles with the scents of red wine, coffee and an old man’s pipe smoke. Acoustics carry the sound of music across the piazza. The tourists are few and the locals are many. The square is full of men in slacks and white pressed shirts, and ladies in high stiletto heels (fashion statements that prove the people’s native roots). Couples stroll near the café and stop to listen, clapping politely at the end of the piece. It’s a perfect end to a day in this complicated, beautiful city.
Kaitlin,
ReplyDeleteI don't blame you for starting your description of Venice as you would a 3,000-word travel essay, rather than a blog post. It is a beguiling city, and hard to get your arms around in a 48-hour visit.
So I would just say: Don't. Don't try to draw great meaning and analogy from a short visit - especially not in a blog post.
DO try to capture those real moments that you physically or psychologically experienced, with nuanced detail, dialogue and contextual/historical relevance.
So in this posting, you did that by drawing from Truman Capote to makes sense of what you were feeling, and you did it in the scene in which the local woman helped you find the farmacia.
Very successful.
In fact, your writing here is polished, and I appreciate your sophistication of language.
As for Piazza San Marco being the place to go to see local people in their element, I respectfully disagree. If you'll remember, the Venetian tour guide Sabrina told us she'd only dined twice in her lifetime at the famed San Marco eatery on the piazza. If you had interviewed Fernando, the main guide, he would have gently corrected you.
It is for certain a magical place - I, too, listened to the quartets play late at night, and clapped - but one that mainly attracts the 6 million tourists that come to Venice annually, not its 60,000 residents.
But you CAN find them - in the crowded, small cafes in narrower alleys, with children running everywhere, farther from San Marco.
Look in the corners for compelling stories, not the center of the piazza.
So you are off to a great start in blogging. Trust your reporting skills, and your senses, in dissecting your travels and experiences. I can't wait to read more!