water taxi – Snapping The Globe

Crowded vaporettos and August heat…it’s a wonder why anyone makes the trip to the Venetian islands during the summer months!

But with risk comes reward…

Having done the quickie tour of the Venetian islands the week before with some members of my crew, I had observed the uniqueness of Burano, Murano and Torcello and desired to share their beauty with my husband. On that particular trip, we had stopped for a short time on each island, but this time, I wanted to concentrate on only one. Burano, the island of color! With only having had such a short time in Burano, I was looking forward to seeking out every nook and cranny of the vibrant place with no eye on the clock.

Sweating profusely while in almost a full run to make the 9:40a.m. ferry at the Fondamente Nove vaporetto stop, I fully expected a particular question from my husband. It didn’t take long after we arrived…”So why aren’t we going to Murano? I have always wanted to go there.” Since I had visited Murano twice before, I really didn’t want to waste time being escorted into one of the glass blowing demonstrations that I had experienced on my past trips and besides, it was my birthday! I thought that I was going to get to do what I wanted to do!

Putting myself in his shoes, I realized that he doesn’t get to travel like I do and it might be a long time before he gets to come back. I decided to change the plan and told him that we would make the stop in Murano on the way back to the Venice later in the day, even if it was just for a short while.

Soon, we were on our way, squeezed into a row of seats, but thankfully near a window so that we could at least get some air while beads of sweat formed on our foreheads and rivers poured down our backs. The forty minute ride couldn’t have ended quickly enough and breathing a sigh of relief, we set foot on the dock and followed the crowds into the middle of the small village.

The brightly painted houses and shops were awaiting our arrival and we posed on every little bridge for a photo and walked down every small alleyway and canal. My husband was impressed with the intensity of the hues of all of the buildings, but mostly, he was checking out the boats parked in the canals!

After the obligatory photo of my husband pretending to hold up the leaning Il Campanile Storto, we headed in search of Bepi’s House. Not sure what we would find, we knew we had stumbled upon it when we spotted some Instagrammers trying to get the perfect shot.

While multiple hues abound in Burano, the house of Bepi Suà is the most colorful building on the island, decorated with geometric patterns such as circles, squares, and triangles in hues of yellow, orange, red, blue and green. Bepi, born Giuseppe Toselli, was a lover of painting and movies. After his position at the Cinema Favin was eliminated, he began to sell sweets in Galuppi Square and became known as Bepi of Candies. He soon began hosting an outdoor cinema at his house with a white sheet hung on the outside wall for the neighborhood children. Those same children remember him as a the strange man who was always painting new, colorful geometric shapes on those same walls each afternoon. The exterior was everchanging until his death in 2001.

We continued our explorations (with a quick stop for lunch and gelato, of course!) and ended up back at the Il Campanile Storto and its accompanying Church of Saint Martin Vescovo. Entering the church through its Renaissance styled doorway, it was quite interesting to note that the church really had no façade…only a doorway. Established in 1000, it was finally consecrated in 1645 by the Bishop of Torcello. Restored several times over the years, the main aisle and the pipe organ were destroyed by a fire in 1913, a tremendous loss as it was created by Callidio in 1767 and was considered to be one of the greatest masterpieces of the church. Other artistic pieces to seek out today, however, are the statue of Madonna in the atrium and statues of Sant’ Albano and San Martino, on the sides of the tabernacle, by Girolamo Bonazzo and a bronze statue of the “Risen Christ” over the tabernacle. Today, the church is a modest one mostly known for its 18th century leaning bell tower.

The Chapel of Santa Barbara was a short distance away…like next door. While quite small, it serves its purpose as a place of prayer and has its own small bell tower.

Feeling as though we had finally seen the entirety of Burano, we headed to the dock and took our place in the long line while waiting for the vaporetto.

While relief from the hot sun would have been wonderful, it was now time to crowd onto the vaporetto to fulfill my husband’s Murano dream…the least I could do!

Thank goodness it was a short ride!

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Il Campanile Storto

Piazza Baldassarre Galuppi, 20, 30142 Venezia, VE, Italy
Hours: 24 hours, daily
Admission: free

Bepi’s House

Address: Corte del Pistor, 275, 30142 Venezia, VE, Italy
Hours: 24 hours, daily
Admission: free

Church of Saint Martin Vescovo

Address: Piazza Baldassarre Galuppi, 20, Venice, VE Italy, 30142
Hours: 0800-1200 and 1500-1900, daily
Admission: free

Chapel of Santa Barbara

Address: Piazza Baldassarre Galuppi, 22, Venice, VE Italy, 30142
Hours: 0800-1200 and 1500-1900, daily
Admission: free

On an island, just across the Grand Canal, stands a bright white Palladian church, Chiesa di San Giorgio Maggiore.

Many times after visiting St. Mark’s square, I have stood on the banks of the waterway and stared at the church…it seemed untouchable.

Really not understanding the water taxi system, which seemed to be the way to reach this island, I was never comfortable trying to figure out how to get there, possibly making a mistake and ending up somewhere I didn’t plan. I always thought…next time. And next time never came…until I was visiting Venice with my husband one weekend.

Since two brains are better than one, together we deciphered the water taxi schedule and jumped on the one which we thought would get us there. It was a spontaneous decision and yes, it worked out…we made it across to the island!

As we pulled up to the dock, it suddenly dawned on me that we didn’t even know if the church was open to visitors…but at least we had made it there and figured that we could at least walk to the end of the island to see the lighthouse if it wasn’t.

First, we stood in the large plaza before the church and took in the basilica’s beautiful marble façade and the views of the city across the Venetian waters. Standing on the island, which was once called Insula Memmia (after the Memmo family who owned it) the church that once occupied the island, was consecrated to St. George. The San Giorgio Monastery was established in 982, when the entire island was donated for the monastery and it was built next to the church. In 1576, construction of the current church was begun.

Luckily, we found the church open for tourists and we began our explorations of the 16th century basilica.

Constructed by architect Andrea Palladio, the church’s spacious interior contains the usual things you might find in a basilica…chapels, tombs, altar, dome…but it is the artwork that takes center stage…both old and new.

Within the church’s three floors, paintings by Tintoretto were displayed including The Last Supper, The Entombment of Christ and The Fall of Manna as well as a significant masterpiece by Sebastiano Ricci, Madonna Enthroned With Saints. There were some modern pieces by Swiss artist Not Vital, Tintoretto (2020-2 silver boxes) found on the Main Altar, Pope Francesco (2020-2 silver boxes) found in the Main Chorus and the most impressive piece, House to Watch the Sunset (2021), found in the Transept, which is a large pyramid of stairs. This piece was created for the occasion of the 17th International Architecture Biennale.

*House to Watch the Sunset by Not Vital*

*Pope Francesco Silver Boxes by Not Vital in Main Chorus (far bottom right)*

Following the signs to the campanile, we paid our entrance fee and made our way to the top of the tower via the rapid ascent elevator. One of the finest examples of Venetian Gothic architecture, the bell tower was built in the 14th century by Pietro Lombardo and completed by Pietro Bellotto. From this vantage point, we had some of the most breathtaking views of the Venetian lagoon, the city and some of the nearby islands. We were also able to look down upon the cloisters of the monastery as well as gaze upward at the tower’s carillons. While the campanile of San Giorgio Maggiore is a little shorter than the Campanile di San Marco, one reason to make the trip to the island and make your way to the top, is that you don’t have to navigate its height via stairs, as you would at San Marco. I also think that the views from this perspective are more beautiful!

Exiting the church, we walked toward the harbor for an up close and personal look at the Lighthouse of San Giorgio Maggiore. While it is not one of the largest lighthouses I have ever seen, it is quite impressive with its clean masonry.

Finally, we headed back to the vaporetto dock and waited for the next boat. As it was the middle of August, it was extremely hot. The small enclosure, which offers protection from the cold and the rain, is not the best place to wait while the hot summer sun is bearing down. Dashing out back to the plaza in front of the church, we took more pictures and enjoyed the cool breeze coming off of the water until Vaporetto 2 was in sight.

Back to San Marco plaza, we headed, now feeling secure about our boat ride and how to navigate the Vaporetto system. This bit of confidence would serve us well for the rest of our trip as we navigated the city.
Another check on the Venetian bucket list…I no longer have to only wistfully stare at the beautiful church across the canal…I visited it!

There are many churches in the Venetian Islands, but this one is worth the trip!

For more pictures, check out Facebook, Snapping the Globe and Instagram, @snappingtheglobe.

Chiesa di San Giorgio Maggio

http://www.abbaziasangiorgio.it/
Address: Isola di S. Giorgio Maggiore, 30133, Venezia VE, Italy
Hours: April to October, 0900-1800, daily. November to March, 0830 to 1800.
Admission: Church entrance, free. €6 for tower access
Getting There: Vaporetto (water taxi) 2 or N. You will need two one-way tickets or a 24 hour pass to visit the island. If your visit is about an hour, your 75 minute ticket may still be valid for the return.

Tag: water taxi

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