Not long ago the General Administration had a wonderful opportunity to have a one day tour-visit to Venice, a city in northeastern Italy, known undoubtedly as the most beautiful city built by man. It is a city of islands, separated by canals and linked by bridges, built on the wooden piles in the lagoon. Awesome! Although it was very crowded and thousands of people from all over the world filled the city at this time, we all enjoyed the walk through these small streets and bridges, admiring the architecture of the buildings, palaces and churches, constructed with such artistic precision and color, almost beyond human fantasy. Slowly rolling gondolas on the waves of the lagoon created an alluring romantic atmosphere of the city and its ancient traditions.
Reaching the Piazza San Marco, we were overwhelmed by the beauty of Saint Mark’s Basilica also called the “Church of Gold,” adjacent and connected to the Doge’s Palace. The earliest construction of the church reaches back to the IX century and has examples of Italo-Byzantine architecture. The patron of the city is St. Mark and his relics are placed in marble sarcophagus in the high altar of the Church. We took time in silence for prayer and adoration in the chapel of the Blessed Sacrament. Returning to the railway station, we went by vaporetto (waterbus), which plies along the Grand Canal.
This day-long excursion was truly an enriching time for our whole group, experiencing different customs, cuisine and life style of Veneti (people), as well as their works of ornate glass and masks. We shall not forget that it is the birthplace of Antonio Vivaldi, composer and violinist; and the inspiration for Shakespeare’s “The Merchant of Venice” and “Othello”. Venice and its lagoon is indisputably listed as a World Heritage Site. Welcome to Italy!
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