A Venetian Winter
Who would pay nine euro for an espresso? A visit to Venice can distort reality for the budget traveller, and a visit to St. Mark’s Square explains it all. Having never been to Venice I was always extremely curious about its practicalities. How could a city lay upon the water? How is it that the sea becomes the Venetian front lawn?
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I arrived late and stumbled fully dressed into my hostel bed, my plans for tomorrow intact - a visit to St. Mark’s Basilica and the square. It was January and the cold wetness from the water swirled around the air, making people walk hurriedly, hunched over and more determinedly than Venice deserves. Although it’s narrow, perplexing streets warrant a leisurely stroll, it was too cold to look around so I followed the signs towards the Church. After some walking, I stumbled into a vast square. I barely noticed the immense Basilica to my left. Far ahead of me I saw the Correr Museum, its exhibits advertised on cloth flags, waving violently in the wind. To my right I saw cafés, one after the other and each with dozens of seats outside - jutting into the square itself. To my left I saw the Campanile - the narrow tower signaling that I was here. I had arrived in St. Mark’s Square. I walked towards the middle of it to get a glimpse of the Church front.
Immense and ornate, St. Mark’s Basilica looked different to European Cathedrals. It was clearly made up of unmatching materials that no one tried to disguise as uniform. Instead, patchwork pink and green marble comprised many of its pillars. The façade inlaid sculpture told the story of St. Mark’s body being brought to Venice by two men in an unclean and therefore, untouched pork barrel, and laid to rest here so that he would not be cremated. I saw also a sculptured, winged lion - the symbol for St. Mark. Inside the dim Cathedral, I followed the perimeter, peering upwards. Above were millions of gold pieces forming stunning mosaics, which originally served to tell the biblical stories to the illiterate. Venice had worked hard to create this Cathedral, collecting materials from wherever it could throughout the world so that it might have a legacy. Here were the fruits of their labour-in the center of the gilded and ceramic ceiling – most notably a giant mosaic of Jesus.
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As I left I was reminded once again that I was in Venice. The Basilica, which has been said to be sinking, was filling up with water from the sea, where beforehand it had been dry. The tide and the weather began to seep into the Church itself. St. Mark’s is truly sinking.
If it wasn’t January, the square would be full of people sitting in the cafés - listening to the orchestras play. But the café’s sat relatively empty and no music was to be heard on this cold January morning. I wanted my experience to go on, for St. Mark’s to continue. I walked to one of the cafés and looked at the menu. Even in the winter, an espresso if enjoyed outside the café, would be nine euro. I decided it was worth it and sat down at one of the tables facing the Basilica, and Doge’s Palace. I took out my journal and began to write. “Nine euros for an espresso and I declare that I can sit here as long as I want.” And there I sat, surrounded by all that makes Venice enchanting - taking in all of the excitement and the beauty of the Square for a mere nine euros.
- Elizabeth Smith
