Day 15: The Doge's Palace

As Venice rose to power as a major world trade center in the Middle Ages, it evolved into a republic with an elected head of state, the Doge (Duke.) The Doge was usually elected for life (although a few were forced out of office for poor performance) but eventually the office of the Doge came to be a mostly ceremonial one--much like Queen Elizabeth II holds today. Venice was mostly ruled by the Senate, usually 200-300 members from the ruling families. The Senate elected a "Council of Ten" and this council served as advisors to the Doge in day-to-day affairs.

The Doge's Palace is located on the Grand Canal in Piazza San Marco, the most famous Piazza in Venice. Part of the piazza's fame comes from the historic flock of pigeons who come to be fed by tourists. In recent years, there was so much damage to the Piazza and its historic buildings that the sale of pigeon food was banned in the square. Children still manage to find a way to bring some food for their feathered friends.

The Doge's Palace is a massive building. Here you can see the loggia along the ground floor where commoners walked. In addition to serving as the residence for the Doge's family, the Palace was also the seat of government with many official rooms for that purpose. And the Palace was also where the rulers of Venice housed prisoners.

In the courtyard of the Palace, the Staircase of the Giants served as the ceremonial entrance to the official rooms of the Palace. Venice was the center of world trade in the Middle Ages and during the Renaissance when it controlled major land and sea shipping routes providing for trade with the Byzantine Empire and later the Ottomans. This grand staircase no doubt saw its share of visiting foreign dignitaries.

   
The Staircase of the Giants was so named because of these two massive sculptures standing at the top of the stairs--Hercules on the left and Atlas on the right, symbolizing Venice's position of power in the world. Venice's status as a world financial power and cultural center began to slip in the 1500's when an unsuccessful defense of Constantinople against the invading Turks led to an ongoing 30-year war with Sultan Mehmet II. During this same period, Columbus discovered the new world, and Portugal found a new shipping route to India. The cost of the war and the change in world trade routes left "The Empress of the Asiatic" with empty coffers. Venice would continue as an influential center of agriculture and manufacturing until the 1800's, but her glory days as a world power were over.

The second floor loggia leads to the Golden Staircase, which is the entrance to the Doge's apartments.

Looking down the Golden Staircase at the ornate gilded ceiling.

Photos inside the Palace were not allowed, but without using a flash, I managed to capture a couple of illegal photos of the incredibly ornate ceilings throughout the Doge's apartments. In this shot, you can also see the mantle of the carved stone fireplace in the Red Room.

Despite beautiful inlaid marble floors and amazingly ornate ceilings with frescoes by the grand masters of the Italian Renaissance, the Doge's Palace is empty. Each Doge upon his election would move into the Palace bringing his own furnishings, which the family would remove upon his death. And the next Doge would bring his own furniture, and so on, so that there is no furniture in the Palace. This is the ceiling in the Senate chamber. The gilded wooden throne and seats around the room were built in and could not be removed.

San Giorgio Maggiore Island from a window in the Doge's apartments.

Venetian chandeliers  hang from all the ceilings in the Palace.

Back outside in the courtyard, a view of the beautiful architectural detail of the Doge's Palace.

Joining the throngs of tourists, we explored the narrow streets, shops, and alleys of Venice.

Lunch on the run--a slice of pizza and a beer--and the only place to sit is the front step of the pizza vendor. Almost lost some toes to the baby strollers going by!

Tim in his Europe 2012 style--brightly colored shirt, denim cargo shorts rolled up at the knee, cheery espadrilles, and of course, a "murse" or man-purse. He could be Italian, don't you think?

From Palace to Ghetto, we spent the afternoon wandering in the Jewish quarter. Better food, lower prices, and fewer tourists.

My Italian is not that great, but based on the first line of this sign in a store window, I am not sure this is a good way to market cell phone technology. I'm just sayin'...

Most of Venice has been well-maintained or restored, but once in a while you run across a crumbling wall and rotten door like this one surrounding an old palazzo in the Jewish quarter.

There are still some lovely and very photogenic parts of the old Jewish quarter however, such as these photos of picturesque buildings.

Thank goodness for the occasional sidewalk cafe. A half-liter of wine, some assorted cheeses, and a nice shady and breezy spot are just the ticket for some relief from the Italian summer heat.

Dinner at Hosteria al Vecio Bragosso in the Jewish quarter. Typical Italian-style restaurant, and very charming. 

Marinated salmon with lemon.

Pappardelle with crayfish and tomato sauce.

Hosteria was a lovely charming restaurant with beautiful presentation, but despite all that, the food was not very tasty. And the Venetian waiters? The word "imperious" comes to mind. Come on guys, Venice is not the "Empress of the Asiatic" any longer. It's a tourist trap! Lose the attitude, already!