{"id":11975,"date":"2019-04-13T19:27:06","date_gmt":"2019-04-13T17:27:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/euroviajar.com\/?p=11975"},"modified":"2023-05-20T15:10:24","modified_gmt":"2023-05-20T13:10:24","slug":"curiosities-about-venice","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/euroviajar.com\/en\/curiosities-about-venice\/","title":{"rendered":"Interesting Facts about Venice – Curiosities & Mysteries"},"content":{"rendered":"

You may think you already know everything about Venice, but do you? Let me reveal you some secrets: 15 funny and interesting facts\u00a0about Venice<\/strong> that will definitely surprise you!<\/p>\n

1. Only one female gondolier(a) in history<\/h2>\n
\"According

According to centuries-long tradition, only men could be gondoliers – until now<\/p><\/div>\n

Feminism doesn\u2019t seem to be strong in Venice \u2013 until just 2010, in the entire history of the city there has been no woman<\/strong> performing the most famous and characteristic Venetian profession. The first female gondolier (or gondoliera?) is Giorgia Boscolo \u2013 a daughter of a gondolier, who reportedly wasn\u2019t very enthusiastic about her ambition.<\/p>\n

2. Cursed palace<\/h2>\n
\"Ca'

Ca’ Dario – the cursed palace<\/p><\/div>\n

Ca\u2019 Dario is a beautiful 15th century palace surrounded by mystery. According to the local legend, the palace is cursed: whoever lived here, died of a sudden death, committed suicide or went bankrupt<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

The palace was built by a wealthy merchant Giovanni Dario in 1486 for his daughter. Unfortunately, the daughter and her husband lost their possessions and died prematurely, and that was just the beginning of a long series of deaths and ill fate surrounding the palace<\/strong>. The list of unfortunate owners of this house is long and scary. The place is deemed eerie by the Venetians, they lower their voices passing by it in their gondolas and boats… According to the Venetian legend, the palace was built on a templar cemetery and that\u2019s why it was cursed from the beginning.<\/p>\n

If you like ghosts and mystery, you can actually stay in the scary palace \u2013 it\u2019s available on Booking! Check here to see & book<\/a><\/strong>. Enjoy your stay! ;)<\/p>\n

3. Secret hidden gardens<\/h2>\n
\"Hidden

Hidden gardens in Venice – Google Maps<\/p><\/div>\n

Strolling through Venice, you keep on seeing canals, bridges and narrow streets, but almost no green areas whatsoever. However, Venice protects its secrets from the outsiders, showing its other face only to the lucky few. And that\u2019s also the case of its gardens. Unbelievably, there are almost 500 gardens in Venice!<\/strong> Where? Behind the high walls<\/strong> lining the narrow streets and foundations \u2013 there they are, hidden green spots in all their glory, completely inaccessible for tourists.<\/p>\n

So are we never going to admire any of these gardens? No, don\u2019t worry. There are some you can enter to \u2013 the most central of all are located right behind Piazza San Marco and Correr Museum. They bear a proud name of the Royal Gardens<\/strong> – discover them here<\/a>.<\/p>\n

4. Not-so-romantic Boxers\u2019 bridge<\/h2>\n
\"Joseph

The painting by Joseph Heintz – Competition on the Ponte dei Pugni in Venice – 1673<\/p><\/div>\n

The Ponte dei Pugni or “Bridge of the Fists”<\/strong> is one of the most popular bridges in Venice, however, not for its architectural beauty. It’s due to its curious history. It’s certainly one of the most unexpected curiosities about Venice: in this romantic city, this bridge was used as a boxing ring by local mafias!\u00a0<\/strong>It served the purpose until the year 1705 in which the confrontations were prohibited. it gives you quite a different view at Venice, right?<\/p>\n

5. Gondolas get stuck in traffic jams<\/h2>\n
\"Traffic

Traffic jam!<\/p><\/div>\n

The circulation through the Venetian channels is regulated by a traffic code<\/strong> that is extended to all channels except Rio Novo, That’s because it is the only one that has a traffic light and the motorized boats that circulate through its waters have to navigate through the left side instead of the right as in the other canals. In the peak season, during certain hours of the day the canals may get so crowded with gondolas with tourists, that the traffic through narrow winding canals can be complicated!<\/p>\n

6. Parking for gondolas<\/h2>\n
\"Parking

Parking lot for gondolas<\/p><\/div>\n

Gondolas have their parking lots just like cars. When the night falls and tourists are gone, the gondoliers take their gondolas to water \u201cspaces\u201d and neatly moor them one next to the other.<\/p>\n

7. Fishing in the canals is not forbidden<\/h2>\n
\"One

One of curiosities about Venice is that fishing in the canals is not forbidden<\/p><\/div>\n

Probably you won\u2019t catch any fish in Canal Grande and with all those vaporettos it wouldn\u2019t exactly be organic, but yes \u2013 it\u2019s legal to fish in the Venetian canals<\/strong>. Well, you need an annual license for that, but occasionally you may see a gondolier standing in his gondola with a fishing rod ;)<\/p>\n

8. Venice is not an island<\/h2>\n
\"Venice

Venice lies on many small islets – you can see the outline of some divided by the canals – Google Maps<\/p><\/div>\n

It\u2019s an archipelago of 117 mini-islands<\/strong>, some natural, some constructed. Most of them are interlinked with a system of 417 bridges, but a few are still reachable only by boat. Actually, 72 bridges of Venice are private!<\/strong><\/p>\n

9. Acqua alta can be really high<\/h2>\n
\"Acqua

Acqua alta makes Venice sink back to the sea<\/p><\/div>\n

The Acqua alta is a curious phenomenon that occurs in Venice about a hundred times at the end of the year, especially between the months of November and December. The sea level rises for three or four hours, flooding part of the old town up to half a meter. At very rare times, the maximum level might exceed even 140 cm <\/strong>above the \u201cstandard\u201d level of the Venetian Lagoon!<\/p>\n

Some of the most emblematic areas of Venice, such as Piazza San Marco, become a swimming pool of Olympic proportions.<\/p>\n

Acqua alta is a type of a high tide, so just as all the tides it is influenced by the moon \u2013 and therefore it can be calculated and predicted. Venetians have smartphone apps for Acqua Alta<\/strong>, just as everywhere else there are regular weather apps.<\/p>\n

10. The tides of Venice<\/h2>\n
\"The

The Venetian Lagoon is exposed to sea tides twice a day<\/p><\/div>\n

Venice is exposed to the sea tides twice a day. Every day. That means 730 times a year<\/strong>! For its inhabitants, it\u2019s as natural as the sun and the moon. Their little islands are \u201cswaying\u201d on the higher or lower waters, the canals change their height<\/strong>. The water level changes regularly, entering through three openings in the strip of land separating the Venetian Lagoon from the sea: Lido, Malamocco and Pellestrina.<\/p>\n

11. Don\u2019t walk between two columns<\/h2>\n
\"The

The columns of the patron saints of the city – St Mark’s with a winged lion and St Theodore’s<\/p><\/div>\n

One of the curiosities about Venice that only locals can tell you is that superstitious Venetians pay attention to never walk between the two columns with statues of the city’s patron saints: Saint Mark and Saint Theodore who guard the water\u2019s edge byPiazza San Marco. The reason is that centuries ago, right here, between the columns there was a spot for public executions<\/strong>, so it’s considered bad luck to cross that spot.<\/p>\n

12. The most narrow street<\/h2>\n
\"Caletta

Caletta Varisco – the most narrow street of Venice<\/p><\/div>\n

Obviously, one of the classic curiosities about Venice is the fact that the real streets of the city were the canals, and other passages and lanes were only additional. That is the reason why the paved streets are so narrow. Among many small streets, one in particular is among the world\u2019s most narrow par excellence: it\u2019s only 53 cm wide! Caletta Varisco<\/strong> feels like a covered passage, as sun rays don\u2019t reach it, and it\u2019s not recommended for the claustrophobic people!<\/p>\n

13. Profession that exists only in Venice<\/h2>\n
\"It

It takes quite some skills to be a gondolier<\/p><\/div>\n

The uniqueness of Venice is such that certain professions have only existed here and nowhere else in the world. Some included carpenters specialized in constructing the pales on which the entire city is built. Others were war boat-makers, squeraroli<\/em>.<\/p>\n

However, the most notorious world-unique profession, existing since over since ten centuries<\/strong>, is a gondolier. They are more than just simple oarsmen. Canals of Venice are a labyrinth, some bridges are particularly low \u2013 and the water level changes continuously with the tides, some canals are incredibly narrow. Therefore, it requires masterful skills \u2013 and a tough exam \u2013 to become a gondolier. There are only 3-4 new licenses given yearly<\/strong>, and there are about 400 gondoliers in total.<\/p>\n

14. Life and death in Venice<\/h2>\n
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A post shared by Monika Christova (@m0n14ca)<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/blockquote>\n