Venice

It was on the 13th of February 2018, the day of the Carnival Finale, I visited Venice for the first time. Surprisingly it was not that crowded as I expected it to be on that day. They day brought a gentle springlike sun and people were happy and dressed up for the Carnival. We were able to fully enjoy the center of the city with its highlights, and so we did. At the time I did not have the Italy book of Kurt Hielscher in my possession, so all the photos that are (almost) identical, I shot them by accident. I guess Kurt Hielscher as well as myself have an eye for highlights, though in his prefaces he always states that he does not want to be a postcardphotographer. I am very happy with the results, but I longed a long time to come back ewith Kurt Hielscher's book under my arm. And I did, end of April 2026. Kurt Hielscher published 18 photos from Venice, and now I captured already quite a lot of them but most I still have to share here. Venice is worth it, overtourism or not. Taking that in to account I'll keep February in mind as a good month to visit, but now I can April to it as well but also keep in mind that the whole of the Venice is worth exploring and not only its famous highlights. That is what I learned from my second visit.

That 13th of February 2018, there was a pleasant temperature and some sunshine. I managed to get a moment to take this photo on the Bridge of Sighs, the Ponte dei Sospiri. At the time, I did not know I was in the footsteps of Kurt Hielscher because I bought his 1925 photobook from Italy later. So I call this a lucky shot of the 1600-1630-constructed Ponte Dei Sospiri taken from the Ponte Della Paglia just around the corner of Saint Marco square at the Canal Grande. The Bridge is a connection between the Doge's Palace (Palazzo Ducale) and the prison. Convicts had to walk across this bridge before being locked up in the dungeons, and its name refers to their sighing when they realized they had seen daylight for the last time crossing the bridge. Casanova and Galileo Galilei were held in this prison.

View from the shores in front of the Palazzo Ducale to the island of San Giorgio di Maggiore with the Campanile di San Giorgio and the Chiesa di San Giorgio Maggiore, Venice, 13th of February 2018.

And then there's ofcourse the Ponte di Rialto, derived from rivo alto, high bank. Since its building in 1591, the Rialto Bridge was the only bridge connecting both shores of the Canal Grande for a long time till the Ponte dell'Accademia was finished in 1854. Today four bridges span the Canal Grande. The first bridge however dates back to 1181 and was, of course a wooden raft bridge. Around 1250 the floating bridge was replaced by a wooden bridge without closing the waterway underneath it, but it collapsed several times by the weight of the crowds on it. A thought that came also to my mind when I came across the bridge for a second time that day when crowds were coming in more and more and I feared: "would the bridge hold?" Designed by Venetian architect Antonio da Ponte (1512-1597), what's in a name, he won the contest held by the local authorities under Doge of Venice at the time Pasquale Cicogna. Antonio da Ponte was also head architect of the rebuilding of the Ducal Palace when it was seriously damaged by fire in 1574.

View towards the Piazza San Marco with the Basilica di San Marco in the middle and the Palazzio Ducale on the right. I made a kind of a snapshot while walking towards San Marco Square.

Some photos from people dressed up for the Carnival.

Photo: Casper Molenaar 

Happy family about to get stunned by the Grand Canal, its terraces and ofcourse the Rialto Bridge.

2026

In April 2026, we went again to Venice. This time with the campervan and stayed on a campsite on the island of Jesolo so each time we visited Venice we took the boat. It took like over half an hour but we enjoyed each ride. Soon more.

In 1173 a lighthouse was built but it would last till the 16th century till the tower reached its current height of 98,5 meters. Due to its spiral ramp it was possible for dignitaries to ride with a horse to the top. In 1902, the bell tower collapsed when an attempt was made to install a modern elevator and the stabilizing support structure was removed. Luckily nobody got hurt. The Campanile was rebuilt starting 1912 in original style but with a hidden concrete structure.

Below: View on the Rialto bridge from the Vaporetto in the Canal Grande close to sunset, February 2019.