A Stranger's Venezia

Piazza San Marco: by JpL

Venice, Italy is one of the most improbable places I have ever visited. It is unbelievably beautiful and one cannot help constantly questioning, as my mother (from New Orleans) did, “How does this place exist? How is it still above water?” It certainly has managed to stay afloat for a very long time. The opposite of a city on a grid, Venice’s labyrinthine streets wind around the canals as if in an attempt to cause dizziness, but there is an odd order to it. Perhaps its small size aids an illusion of purposeful city planning, but we always felt at least slightly lost until we somehow ended up at our intended destination. J.B. Jackson generalizes the organization (planned or accidental) of towns and cities in the article “The Stranger’s Path.” I will not pretend to grasp his concept of the Stranger’s Path well enough to confidently apply it cities I know well (and there are certainly several I know better than Venice – I was there for only two nights). He does pay thoughtful attention to Venice in particular. Jackson acknowledges Piazza San Marco (St. Mark's Square), albeit slightly reluctantly, noting that despite its undeniable

beauty and social utility… it seems… that those who hold it up as the prototype of all civic (traffic-free) centers are not always aware of what makes it what it is. The piazza is not an area carved out of a residential district; its animation comes not from the art monuments which surround it; on the contrary, it is enclosed on three sides by a maze of streets and alleys whose function is almost exactly that of the Path. (27)

Often the best way to get around Venice is to wander. Aside from expensive gondola travel and the water cabs/busses that escort tourists around the city’s periphery, pedestrian traffic dominates Venetian transportation. The locals are friendly (in Italian) and the words “Piazza San Marco” are printed on buildings with arrows pointing in various directions. When we wanted to find it from our hotel, we essentially set off with the notion that we would find the famous plaza eventually. It was as if we were rats in a complex maze that featured a seemingly infinite number of possible paths to our destination. The tourist nodes were abundant. We followed signs, stopped for snacks, made a few purchases in Venetian glass and Italian leather shops. I photographed the signs, graffiti, food, and what appeared to be a McDonalds constructed before the Common Era. Mcdevecchio: by JpL We eventually made our way to the bustling San Marco. The architecture was magnificent and the view of the Grand Canal was breathtaking, as well as fitting with Jackson’s entry/exit node along the Path being a point of arrival for commerce, locals, and tourists. The hoards of people were outnumbered only by the pigeons. San Marco Dweller: i FEAR birds. i LOVE this little guy.Our long walk through Venice at least had the illusion of being a Stranger’s Path, leading us to this wonderful, crowded place. Jackson expresses frustration that, “the Mediterranean plaza… was never intended to serve… as a place of business” (27). Well, I’m pretty sure the café where we ended up sitting in order to take in the site charged more than we were even willing to pay. Still, the busy square started (or ended) with a vibrant body of water, was a seemingly unavoidable spot for transients to end up, and truly exuded vitality. Maybe Venice is made up of various Stanger’s Paths – I have yet to experience another city that enticed movement in such a mysteriously roundabout, yet purposeful manner.

For my Art of Travel, Spring 08 blog post about Venice, click on my photos or here: http://www.placeandliterature.com/node/6772

For my company's video channel based in L.A.'s version of Venice, Italy, Venice Beach, click here: www.venicethemenace.com

Location