Omaha daily bee., 1893-10-01
VENICE AND HER CONDOLAS
Beautiful City Full of Marvels in Art and
Architecture.
BRILLIANT WITH Historic Renaissance
Like a Thousand Isles Linked with Artistic
Br~idges-Gliding Through Narrow
Streots-Cathedrai and Churches
Palaces of splendor.

Nth'NAh ohp VI ohNi ~ liiAh- w y = - oNhe
Of the most charming places in the world.
She sets out at sea, as 1t WERE, quite alone
In her grand beauty, her quiet undisturbed
by tho roar OF that lends such n
dim TO the other great marts Of the world.
To enter this city is indeed to leave the
world behind, as the railway enters by
means OF a bridge more than two miles in
length straight seaward from the main
land, giving one the impression Of moving on
the water in a railway train.
This bridge is considered one of the
great institutions in the railway world. IL
consists Of long entertainments and some 225
arches. and cost nearly 81, y 1000. BY the
time one reaches the first embankmcnt the
white city looms in sight, It's towers and
spires and domes coming nearer until the
city does not look quite so unearthly, so
much like n picture, an unreal city. The
great railway station huns with the voices
OF people and the rummaging of baggage
only. There are no carts, no express wagons.
Only porters, all too willing TO serve the weary
traveller In carrying his hand baggage and
trunks through the station to the gondolas
drawn up in n line just across the platform.
As Is well known, Venice is built upon a
group OF several islands, in what is called a
lagoon, and is quite a distance from the main
land. On approaching the city one sees de-
tached from it many great buildings, such
ms hospitals, arsenals, etc, each on n tiny
island, and appearing as ii they had risen di-
rectly up from the sea. The lagoon contain.
ing the more than 100 Venetian islands is
separated from the Adrlatic' by a long, mar
row sand bank, which is divided through by
fslets, one of which in ancient times
was known as the Porto de
Lido, the main entrance for ships, while now
the deepest channel or islet through this bar
Is known as the Porto de Malamoco. Through
this the great vessels near the city. The
islands containing the city with n population
of 1900 0 are all small. ana are connected by
some 31S bridges, n fact that makes it posi-
BILE for one to walk all over the city through
the narrow, hall-like passageways, which are
all well paved and well kept. But for all or
binary traffic and travel the waterways or
canals are the regular thoroughfares, the
gondolas the vehicles. The canals are mar
row, some of them so much so as to admit of
only the passage of two gondolas at the
same time, while Others will easily admit of
four or five at one time.
The broadway OF Venice.
The chief or largest of the islands is the
1slodo di Rialto, which means islands of tho
deep stream, and which gives the name to
the famous bridge. The Grand canal, a
marine "Broadway' true enough, divides the
city into two unequal parts as 1T curves along
through it from one end to the other. There
are 146 small canals, the whole forming a
network of streets. The Rialto bridge is
across the Grand canal. 1t is n wide, high
tSI WIN ollOpo VII piSh iuC lHeSe SuOIS,
small and narrow, wherein are placed a
wonderful medley of articles from beads to
blankets and all sorts of trinkets, were a
long time ago occupied by Jews as jewelry
shops and must have then presented a pretty
sight.
This famous bridge, Ponte di Rialto, built
In 15SS-91, was for 200 or 300 years the only
bridge over the grand canal. 1t is built on
n foundation of 1000 piles, 5000 on each
side, is of marble, an arch of seyenty-four
fact cnnp and thirt yt,p foot birh U,,,
near this beautiful arch is the Oldest church
IN Venice, said to date from $40. The church
is closed as being dangerous. Just in front
OF 1T is the little square of Shakespeare's
Rialto, or the Merchants exchange of that
time. and at one side of the square, now a
vegetable market, is an interesting column
OF Egyptian granite. 1t is approached by
steps and supports a k~neeling figure. From
this column it was the custom to promulgate
the laws OF the republic. There are several
such monuments in Venice, each used for
like purpose in that time of no newspapers.
The square of st. Marks.
To all that is grand and lovely in Venetian
architecture 1t would seem that the Square
of ST. Marks would lay claim. This square,
known as La Piazza, is the center of both
business and amusement, and is surprisingly
small in area, measuring not more than SIG
feet in length. by from $50 to 27O feet in
breadth. But then it is st. Marks square
In Venice.
La Piazza is faced on one side by the
glorious cathedral, another by the Procuratie
Vecchie with the clock tower. in which, in
view of the public, the hours are struck on
a big bell by two bronze figures; the
Pneumatic Move, built in the seventeenth
century, and the NIcova Fabbrica, connecting
the two, added under Napoleon in 1910,
which unitcs all in one great palace. The
square thus formed is a center where all of
Venice may be seen under the arcades. On
the north and west sides arc some of the
most dazzling shops to be found, the
display made to glitter by the show of
1ewelry, precious stones, fine carvings in
ivory, silver work, porcelain, paintings, old
coins, glass and laces. For these last two
Venice Is famous for the manufacture
thereof. There are several lace factories,
one of which employs 5000 persons. There
are, however, not so many persons. perhaps
not more than 5000 or 1000, engaged in the
making of laces in Venice as there are in
Brussels, though living here is much cheaper.
OF course the city is very much smaller than
the Belgian capital. II is interesting to com
pare the work in this line of the two cities.
Both produce exquisite results.
Opening to the south of La Piazza is a
smaller place known as the Piazzetta,
wherein adjoins the famous Ducal palace
which has in its rear that sentimental
humbug," the Bridge of Signs, the opposite
side containing the library and mint, the
south opening TO the sea, and where are the
two great columns of granite, one bearing
tHS "ihtSu VI cb' NluTh, inc OLl0r the
statue OF st. Theodore.
The Cathedral OF Venice.
From this one readily understands WHY q
view OF the cathedral is mol obtainable from
the water front. This fact is very disap-
pointing TO many persons, too. But did the
cathedral front the Grand canal there
would be no ST, Marks square, the like of
which there is no other. The great cathe-
dral is of marvellous richness in form, size
and embellishments, Its walls inside and
out show an area of Al, 100 square feet, or
more than an acre, OF mosaic work, all of in
describable loneliness, and the decorations
In bronze, gliding ana rich marbles are
equally AS splendid and profuse. The affairs,
the organ, the lamps, the glorious choir, ali
In perfect harmony with the marvellous walls
and ceilings. The floor presents a queer
level, while its patterns are beautiful.
Owing TO the foundations being affected by
the sea, or at least tho foundations are all
made BY piles being used in great numbers,
and " would seem that the sea was the
cause, the floors or pavements present a
very uneven surface. 1t has a rise and fall
like the waves. But this has been notice
able for hundreds OF years. Repairs are now
and then made, but tho floors are not level.
cathedral Is of Byzantine style,
with q few additions in Gothic
pf the fourteenth century and Renaissance
Alterations of the seventeenth, the church
Itself dating from the eleventh century