The Living Museum: An Introduction to Venezia, Italy
We loved our stay in Venice, so much so that it will take a couple of entries to cover it all! Here is the first.
Traveling to Europe makes one thing abundantly clear: the number of old (like, REALLY old) structures that are now museums is far beyond anything in the US. When our oldest structures are at most 300 years old, places like London and Geneva shake their heads, point at a church or bridge and say "See that? That was built 500 years before your country was a twinkle in someone's eye." But among all of the cities of Europe, one stands as a unique example: Venice is a museum itself.
A little background on Venice. It was founded roughly in 421 by refugees fleeing Italian coastal cities from Germanic and Hun invasions on several small islands in a lagoon. Over the years the city expanded, added bridges, and grew to be a huge naval power until the early 1500s.
An aerial view of Venice, found online
There are only a couple of places that newer structures are able/allowed to be built, and they're all clustered in the upper-left corner of the aerial view (where the bridge to the mainland connects). What this means is that everything else about the center of the city is more or less original. There have been some structural improvements related to stability and modern methods of transport, as well as updates to and modernization of the interiors of buildings, but overall it is a city that has seen fewer changes to its "old town" compared to others. Their Old Town is the whole town. Here are a few pictures illustrating this point.
Your average street/alley/walkway
Updates such as lights and electricity have been added, but it has a very tacked-on feel
The Grand Canal. What used to be various ruling council estates have now been repurposed as businesses, apartments, and houses
There are plenty of newer structures on the mainland portion of Venice (Maestre), but the historical core of the city is just that: historical. Turn the right corner to get away from the crowds, and you can almost sense yourself traveling back in time to when the city was new. The other key aspect of the illusion is the lack of cars. Walk through London or Paris, and you'll get a similar moment of clarity, only to be shattered by the rev of an engine or the honk of a horn. It really adds a sense of wonder that can't quite be matched by any other old town districts elsewhere in Europe. Stay tuned for more thoughts on this beautiful city!