Juniata sentinel and Republican. [volume] (Mifflintown, Juniata County, Pa.) 1873-1955, 1877-06-27
Market-Plaee of Venice.

The Rialto-centre of old Venice, fal
away from the fashionable centre of to-
day-Once the centre of traffic, ''the
place where merchants most did con-
gregate"-what sort of a place is il
now? About fourteen hundred years
ago the seventy-twO islands upon which
the city stands were covered by the sea
but in the region called the Rialto there
rose small spot of earth on which the
refugees who fled for protection to the
Gulf of the Adriatic established their
little colony. An open square was left
for the purpose of an Exchange, and on
one side church was built, which is
still standing-fOr in ancient days the
free towns and cities placed the house
of worship so that its shadows might
fall upon the mart of business. Around
this square, houses and shops and ware
rooms grew up and gradually spread
over the adjacent water-lOts. amid
much noise OF pile driving and brick
laying and heaping up of great marble
blocks in territory, every inch of it res
cued from the sea. The splendid palace
of San Mark has since become the favo-
rite place of concOurse; but the origi-
nal Rialto remains, with its character
istic features for the most part unal-
tered. The squat stone humpback that
bore upon his shoulders the platform on
which offenders were once exposed, has
lost whatever beauty of feature he may
at first have possessed; but he is still
there, although his special vocation is
gone. In a close, narrow street just at
ironed windows, from which poor
hand. you pass by Shylock's habitation,
with its narrow door and heavily
Jassica once looked out longingly and
lovingly, and within which the old
usurer counted out his money, and
pie 3. for his pound of flesh"
As We walked over the broken stone
pavem mt of the square, dilapidated
Venetian, who was engaged in sweep
ing up the cabbage leaves and other
vegetable and animal and filhy rubbish,
held out his hand for dOuceur, for this
is now a market-place, and there are
many odd things 20 be seen here. If
anything can be imagined that ever
swan in fresh water or salt, it is to
be found here. The Venetians will eat
anything, whether it be snails stingar-
ees, horn-pOuts, dOg-fish, cuttle-fish, or
any other creature that ever wore a
shell, or a scale, or skin, or even that
which is too gelatinous to be clothed
with either. The multitudinous cries
of the vendors of these and other arti-
cles, which we do not know how to
classify, are appalling. Men and wo-
men rush frantically about with strings
of onions or little bunch OF carrots, or
the segment of cabbage which they
thrust into your face, and importune
every passer-by to purchase; geese,
ducks, turkeys, and chickens are ex-
posed by the single joint; a neck and
head, a liver, a gizzard, or any other
fraction of a bird, may be had separ-
ately,-copper cauldrons bubble and
boil, from which cooked vegetables are
served, all hot and smoking-immense
baked pumpkins, also hot and smoking,
are sold in lots to suit purchasers. We
saw a man dealing out huge boiled
rice pudding-they call it poleata-
which he sliced off rapidly with piece
of twine. and accompanied by small
handful of cooked fish, all of which we
were told sufficed for family dinner,
and could be had for the moderate sum
of fve-pence. Nothing is thrown
away here which is capable OF being
eaten.