Day 9 Monday St Mark’s Basilica

I decided it was time to brave the tourist hordes and see the main sights (one of them at least) of Venice. I got to St Mark’s Square early and pottered around. It really is quite impressive from the outside. Water was gurgling up through the pavement in quite a few places – several in the foyer area of the Basilica so they had the boards out. They are about a meter wide and when a gaggle/swarm/pack ( what is the collective noun for a group of tourists? I think it has to depend on the country of origin – they display different traits) passes, you really have to stand your ground ( or rather piece of board) firmly. Maybe it happens after rain. When I got inside, I remembered how I felt in the cathedral in Milan- uncomfortable – with being herded along a particular path; with seeing people take photos despite many, many signs; with seeing groups of officials do nothing about said phototakers; with the constant loud hum of voices; with some people rudely pushing past. That said, the work that has gone into the mosaics which were everywhere was amazing. Everywhere you looked there was an intricately carved something – pillar or chair or screen; except the choir stalls were perfectly plain wood, no carving or embellishments of any kind. Maybe they are a new addition. The museum was interesting. It had some tapestries; fragments of old mosaics; Byzantine embroidered clothes, though these had been extensively restored and it was not clear what, if anything, was original; illustrated old books and a weekday altarpiece that was put in front of the one that was lavishly decorated with gold, silver and all sorts of precious jewels for services on weekdays. The fancy one was displayed on weekends. In the museum are 4 lifesized gilded bronze horses that were stolen in 1204 from Constantinople. They are probably Roman from the second century AD. They are well travelled horses. Napoleon took them to Paris in 1797, then they came back. They were on the façade of the basilica but are now inside and replicas are on the outside.

After I had enough of St Mark’s I went to a much smaller church – Santa Maria del Giglio. It had heaters amongst the pews, lots of twiddly bits – baroque – but a modern statue in light coloured stone dated 1985 next to the dark grey stone altar. It is the first time I have seen such a modern thing in a church here. In a little side chapel was a lovely Rubens painting, said to be the only Rubens on display in Venice.

I went to another church – San Stefano - gothic – only because I was in the area and was filling in time. I had bought a Chorus pass for 9 euro which gives you access to many of the churches in Venice without paying the normal entrance fee. Once you are past 3 churches you are ahead – so a quick nip into a church is OK. San Stefano had a nice ceiling of wood – like an upturned keel of a boat. There was another of Tintoretto’s last suppers.

I have written a few postcards but am having trouble buying stamps. Tobaccaios do not sell them, like in other parts of Italy I have been, you have to go to a Post Office which are either very full or closed each time I have passed one. More effort required.

I have just finished making a list of the things I would like to see in my last 4 days. There are too many!