b'JONATHAN VAN BILSENVenices famed Grand Canal.Northern Italy Gondolas lined up ready to transport tourists.FROM VENICE TO FLORENCEMost of us love travelling, but havingfrom the ground. for 40 minutes. More than 500 gondolas to stay home during these unique times,AcrossthesquareisSt.Markstravelthe50kilometresofwaterways can be quite frustrating. Thanks to theBasilica,builtin828whenVenetiandriftingunder409bridges,andalong folks at Rogers TV and YouTube, mymerchants stole the relics of Mark the177 canals in this city with a population travel show is doing very well and givesEvangelist from Alexandria, Egypt. Theof270,000.Venicesgondoliersinvest me a fantastic opportunity to reminiscechurch was burned in a rebellion in 976about 20,000 ($30,000) for a traditional about some great locales around theand reconstructed into its present form inhand-built wooden gondola with a useful world. 1017. The upper levels of the interior arelife of about 20 years.One of my favourite memories wascompletely covered with bright mosaics. The Grand Canal is the main water-a recent trip to the north of Italy. IewNext to the Cathedral is the Dogesway of the city and carries the bulk of direct to Venice, arriving at Marco PoloPalace built in Venetian Gothic style inVenetian transportation, as automobiles airport, where my guide whisked me off1172.The palace was the residence ofare banned throughout much of the city. in a water taxi to beautiful St. Marksthe Doge or magistrate, the supremeIf youre thinking of a summer house on square. It was built in 1100 as the cen- authorityoftheRepublicofVenice.the Grand Canal, be prepared to spend tral government area for the RepublicA corridor connects the palace with ain excess of 1.5 million euros or 2.3 mil-of Venice and thrived until 1797, whenprison, and is known as the Bridge oflion dollars for a two-bedroom unit.the republic surrendered to Napoleon.Sighs, named for the moans from pris- From Venice I continued to Verona, The square is the most visited part ofoners who took a last look at freedomhome of several Shakespearean trag-Venice, with up to 20 million tourists athrough the small windows en route toedies. Verona, with its 700,000 inhabit-year (pre-COVID), nearly half of all thetheir cells. ants is one of the main tourist destina-annual visitors to Italy. Of course no trip to Venice is com- tions in northern Italy. This is due to its The bell tower of St Marks Cathedralpletewithoutatraditionalgondolaartistic heritage, as well as shows and is one of the most recognizable sym- ride. For centuries, gondolas were theoperas. Many of these are held in the bols of the city, and stands surprisinglychief means of transportation, and areancient amphitheatre built by the Ro-separate from the church with the samesteeredbyagondolier.Theirprimarymans around 30CE.name. I was amazed at the spectacularrole today is to carry tourists on rides atVeronaisthesettingforShake-views from the belfry, nearly 100 metresarate of 80 euros or 130 dollarsxedspearestragedy,RomeoandJuliet, two charactersbasedonactional story in ancient Italian literature.The house, questionably said to belong to the Capulet family, was an overgrown ruin, restored in 1905 by the city as a tourist destination. The famous balcony was added in 1928 by alm studio that used the location for a silent rendition of the famous play. Verona, like most Italian cities has a wonderful outdoor market where most anything can be purchased. The square is adorned with statues and fountains, which surround the market stalls. The St Marks Square Please turn to page 48FOCUS - SEPTEMBER 202047'