The Ely miner., 1930-06-27

traffic uses this great square. II Is
given over entirely to humans and
pigeons. Thousands of the latter make
the Piazza San Marco their home and
there is seldom a time during the day
when one can cross the square without
carefully picking his way to avoid
stepping on them.
Why these birds do not burst or at
least grow so fat that they can only
impOtently flap their wings like pen
gums remains a mystery. Dolce far
niente," the phrase of their native
land, seems to describe exactly the
lives these birds lead. At two o'clock
every day municipal employee brings
out big sack of grain and scatteTs
it for them. And they are served a
sort Of buffet luECka2Q that lasts all
day. This is the contribution OF the
tourists, grain bought from numerous
peddiers who apparently make a good
living selling little bags of feed from
their tripod stands.
When night falls again and cloaks
the inevitable tawdry spots of an
old city built on piles, one forgets his
criticisms Of the day. Out en- the la
gOOn at the mouth of the Grand canal,
in boat lighted by gaily colored Ian
terms, a company of musicians and
singers begins a serenade. The gon-
dolas of tourists join the thrOng Of
slender black forms bObbing grace
fully up and down, each with a silent,
statuesque figure standing at its stem.
Soft music and the gentle swish Of
WaveletS fill the air. The lights Of the
IidOs CLEAN in the distance while near
er at hand black masts and spires
stand out against the sky, the soaring
shaft of the Campanile topping them
all.
The Three Lidos.
Venice's playground is the LidOs, the
chain of low sand islands across the
lagoon, which have ever guarded the
city from the Adriatic. Without these
isles and the tide they control, Venice,
or at least the Venice that is so well
known. would never have been born.
On the Lidos were the original set
Elements that led to the establishment
of the city of Venice on the islands
of the IagOons. When Attila and his
Hun hOrdes swept down on Europe in
452 \. d. many of the inhabitants OF
the regions farther inland took ref
uge on the LidoS. From 742 to 500 the
seat OF government of the region was
a. lIulgplnHan fDEN y1ilhS Gn1Fh nf
the present Lido bathing resort on
the saEe island. The encrOachments
of the waves during the spring and
autumn storms, and the vulnerab,lity
to attacks from enemy navies, led, in
800. to a general exodus to the islands
on which the present city is built.
The Lidos today consist of three prin-
cipal long sandy islands, divided by
narrow water channels. and scarcely
far enough above the water to be dis
tinguished from clouds when seen
from a distance. The Litorale, or
beach, of MalamOcco is the largest
and most important, as it contains
both the famous bathing resort and
the small village of MalamOccO. Tie
LitOrale Of PeleStrina is a strung-Out
village of fishermen and gardeners.
Along il are portions of the great sea-
wall, for, although the Adriatic pro
tected its daughter from the guns OF
the heavy -draught vessels of the Mid
die ages, it eXacted constant homage
in stCne walls and breakwaters. The
LitoraIe of St ErasmO, north Of the
Lido is shorter and less important.
Fine Bathing Resort.
At one time there were five ports on
the channels between the islands, but
that at st. Erasmo was closed to in
crease the volume of water at the
Lido port nearby.
The amount of tidewater that en-
tered the lagOOns through the pert
channels bears upon the welfare of
the city. If it had ever been more
than normal. large vessels could have
sailed up TO the Grand canal (as they
do today, due to dredging, however)
and Venice would have needed heavy
Notifications in place Of airy palaces.
If it had been any less, the city would
have been malarial and unhealthy.
MalamoccO is the main approach
today for vessels of heavy draft. The
other ports. Tire Porti, and ChiOgg'a,
together are not as important as the
Lido
The Lido, however, owes its Oh ef
renown to the Ene bathing beach fac
ing the sea- Along its windswept stnds
Byron and Shelley raced their horses
before the vogue Of sea bathing. Here
artists set up their easels to catch
that soft and luminous harmony Of
Venice from distance.
The parallel drawn between the
Lido and Atlantic City. while close
one. is not quite complete Although
the Lido is even more to Venice than
Atlantic City is to philadelphia, it is
only in certain sections of its two
miles of seafront that the public can
bathe. The rest is subdivided with
barbed wire, which extends into the
sea distance beyond the endurance
of all except tie NEST seasoned swim
mers. Between these barriers, in a
sort of no.man's-Iand for the mini
tiate. society dieports Itself afa eecrs
the rctacr-lvure editors supplied with
.cony- A"