It is said that the British poet Sir Byron once swam in the Grand Canal after drinking, and a mistress he abandoned once committed suicide in the Grand Canal. The husband of the British novelist George Eliot (real name Marianne Evans, 1819-1880) once fell from a hotel window into the Grand Canal. The story of the legendary Italian handsome man Casanova is even more interesting. It is said that he once chased the countess and the count's mistress of Venice and had sex with them on a private boat. After the affair was exposed, he was imprisoned on the top floor of the Doge's Palace by the Governor. in the cell. And our interesting "love saint" finally managed to escape through a hole in the roof. "New York Times" humorist Robert Benchley (1889-1945, American humorist, drama critic and actor) was visiting Venice. He just jumped out of a gondola and sent a telegram to the country. Said: "I am now on a beautiful Water Street. Can you guess where it is?"
Henry James (1843-1916), American writer and critic) once commented : "Of all the canals in the world, the most noble is the Grand Canal of Venice. Its starting end is magnificent, and on the left side of the river is the beautiful octagonal building of the Church of Santa Maria Maggiore; the only regret is that the end of the canal is a train station. There is also an even uglier parking lot nearby, which is a blemish on the Grand Canal. " Richard Wagner (1813-1883), a German composer who was good at writing romantic operas, once lived in the Wendlaming Palace. and died there in 1883. Today, every winter, the Vendelaming Palace opens its casino. It is said that one day, while Wagner was sitting at the piano, he suddenly heard the sound of the gondolier's whistle as he made a sharp turn. This inspired him to add a new section of the shepherd's flute to his opera "Tristan". song.
Near the Kalecvoniko Palace, it was the place where ships loaded with vegetables and fruits were traded. In the 19th century, the great poet Robert Browning (1812-1889), a famous British poet) Lived and wrote there. Along the canal, Browning wrote many beautiful poems, which are as beautiful as those engraved on the moss-covered walls. For example, Browning praised Italy, "Ah, Italy/Open my heart, you will see/The name of Italy is engraved there."
Gilbert and Sullivan (two famous operetta musicians in the 19th century) *** jointly created "Gondolier". In the opera, they made extensive use of the ballads of Venetian gondoliers. , thus composing cheerful and relaxing opera music, but Mark Twain claimed: "I cannot tolerate their constant music like a cat meowing spring." However, the former Mississippi River sailor once had the opportunity to visit the Venice Grand After the canal, he described the gondola as "(it) free and elegant, gliding like a big snake". There are many different means of transportation for visiting the Grand Canal. The most convenient and economical way is to take the "water bus". "Waterbuses" are a unique sight on the Grand Canal in Venice. They are small and colorful, but they are usually crowded.
The most characteristic thing about Venice is the gondola. Venice's gondolas, covered with paint and extremely smooth, are tied to the colorful doorposts of barbershops along both sides of the canal. The gondola's bow is covered with steel skin and stands proudly. When walking in the canal, the gondola leaps over the waves and gallops wantonly, with momentum like a wild horse released from the fence.
In the past, troubadours wearing straw hats often rowed this ancient and noble vehicle along the Grand Canal, singing Naples love songs while rowing. Nowadays, it is rare to hear love songs in Naples. Instead, most of them are rock music by Presley (Elvis Presley). You can also hear Broadway tracks here. For example, you can often hear them near the wooden bridge of the Institute. The beautiful music of the opera "Dream Rider". However, be warned, the cost of a gondola ride is much higher than that of a motorboat ride. The former is about $75/50 minutes, while the latter only costs a few dollars per ticket. If you want to fully appreciate the scenery of the Grand Canal, it is best to take a motorboat from San Marco Ferry. Of course, before boarding the ship, you can first take a good tour of St. Mark's Church. This church was built in 839 AD. It is said that in 827 AD, two Venetian merchants led ten ships to Alexandria, Egypt, with the task of retrieving Relics of St. Mark. In order to house the remains of St. Mark, the Venetians specially built the St. Mark's Cathedral, which combines various architectural styles such as Byzantine and Gothic. The church also contains many rare treasures plundered by the Crusades, including emeralds, rubies, rare African marbles, and religious paintings inlaid with gold. There are also alabaster works of art looted from Constantinople. It is said that in 1204 AD, the Venetian Governor Enrico Dendalo sent troops to capture and sack Constantinople. Interestingly, the Governor was blind at the time and was over ninety years old.
If you don’t want to get on the boat so quickly, you can also take a stroll along the river bank. A few hundred yards away is the next motorboat ferry, where you can have a snack and rest at "Harry's Bar" one time.
Don't underestimate this, Orson Welles (1915-1985), American film producer and actor, he directed and starred in "Citizen Kane") and Truman Capote (1924-1984, American writer ) once tasted "Cappuccino" here; Hemingway once taught the bartender here how to correctly prepare "Martini" absinthe.
As the water bus meanders along the river, you will notice many beautiful small gardens or fish markets on both sides of the river. You will also see the brass-domed church and the main church building. On both sides are Romanesque bell towers. On the bank of the canal, there are two unusually large but beautiful buildings. They used to be storage warehouses for imported goods by German and Turkish merchants. Now, they have been transformed into a post office, and the other has become a nature store. History Museum.
At the corner near Rialto Pier, you will see the Cardolo Golden House built in the 15th century. Its facade is a Gothic marble column with a beautiful curved balcony above it. . Many people believe that if the buildings along the coast are compared to the jewels on the neck of the Grand Canal, then the Golden House of Cardolo can be called the crown jewel of the Grand Canal.
There are approximately 450 bridges in Venice, but only 3 span the Grand Canal. The first one is the Institute Bridge leading to the Institute Art Museum; the second one is the Rialto Bridge. The last one is the Skallutz Bridge, which is close to the train station terminal and therefore has extremely heavy traffic. For hundreds of years, the Grand Canal has witnessed too many forms of living beings. There were long lines of religious believers, carnival parades, and gondola dragon boat races for men, women, and children; bright Japanese lanterns hung aloft on boats for feasts and dances; fast yachts arrived carrying celebrities and politicians. Luxurious hotels; huge commercial ships loaded with televisions, Pepsi-Cola, and high-end carpets; garbage ships attracting flocks of seagulls; ships returning from fishing in the Adriatic Sea are filled with fresh shellfish and squid, and they cruise along. The canal leads directly to the hotel on the dockside.
In this procession, you can also see the joyful wedding fleet, which plays joyful music all the way and attracts the attention of countless people. The fleet holding the funeral was much more subdued and sad. The boats were hung with black and gold-trimmed curtains, and the bows were piled with plain flowers. There were gondolas on both sides and behind the funeral boats, and above them were people who came to mourn. Some of the relatives and friends were wearing black hats, and some women were wearing black veils. Walking along the Grand Canal, you will find many college students from all over the world carrying travel bags. They can tell you endless stories about what happened along the Grand Canal. They will tell you that in an inconspicuous house on the shore, Henry James (1843-1916), an American writer and critic, a pioneer of realistic novels from a psychological perspective, once wrote there His masterpiece; or the interesting story of Marcel Proust (1871-1922), French writer) arguing with his mother over 17 pages of "In Search of Lost Time".
They will also tell you which pier you can disembark at to visit churches and monasteries, and where you can admire the works of Renaissance artists such as Titian, Giorgione, and Tintoretto. . They will also remind you which places are free of charge, which places require tickets to visit, etc. The most expensive places to visit are museums, which generally display the most outstanding works of art in Italian history.