The attractions of Venice

MENTION Venice, or Venezia as the locals called it, and one would conjure the image of gondolas. Taking his imagination a little bit further, he would probably visualise himself in one, meandering the waterways under the full moon and serenaded by an accordionist.
He can hold that thought because in reality, there is nothing romantic about the gondolas. Not when you are in one in the middle of the hot summer afternoon!
But this is attracting thousands of tourists to Venice every year.
Unlike other cities in Italy, the waterways in Venice take the role of roads while the gondolas replace the motorised and non-motorised land vehicles.
"No, no Piaggios (the Italian scooters) ... either you walk or take the gondola," says Danieli official, Ms Nicoletta Berissutti, who accompanied this reporter on a walking tour of the city.
In fact, a visitor who arrives in Venice either by air, rail or road would have to leave his mode of transport before entering the city. "You can drive into the city to as far as the railway station. You park your car there. After that, you have to walk.
"It is worth it if you invest in a pair of walking shoes," she added.
If one arrives in Venice by air, the next mode of transport he will have to take into the city is by watertaxis that ply the route every half an hour. The airport is located on the part of the city that is on the mainland.
The part of Venice thronged by thousands of tourists every year is on an island, which is linked to the mainland by a bridge.
As the Venice-Marco Polo airport is on the mainland, many passengers take the watertaxis into the city's main area, San Marco Square.
One hour is all it takes from the airport to San Marco Square, with three stops in between.
The waterway from the airport to San Marco Square - through a lagoon - is like a two-way lane road.
Unlike the road which is parted into two by concrete dividers, the waterway is marked out by indicators.
These are three logs, which are tied together at the top like a Red Indian teepee or wigwam.
At night, these indicators are lighted for the operators and other users of the waterways.
"You can say that people in Venice own boats instead of cars. There are no car parks here but places where they can dock their boats. They also have garages for the boats at their houses," Berissutti said.
Four poles in the water - erected in a position similar to the poles put up when a learner driver is taught car parking techniques - make one boat "park".
And similar to road traffic rules, one has to adhere to the water traffic rules. Signages indicating speed are put up, indicating the possibility of fines if one is caught speeding on the water. "No Entry" and "Under Construction" signages are also common along the waterways.
When at San Marco Square, one can either sit at a sideway cafe, with a cup of Italian expresso and basking in the sun or walk around the city and appreciate the old architecture.
San Marco Square is what Trafalgar Square is in London. Pigeons make the monuments and old buildings their home. "The local government is trying to stop the population of the birds from multiplying because the droppings are damaging the old, historic monuments. The local government has to pay a lot for maintenance (of the old monuments)," she said.
Many of the old buildings and churches in Venice is being restored in anticipation of the Jubilee 2000 next year where the Catholic Church will be celebrating its 200 years in existence.
Some anticipates that Rome - where the Vatican is - will be the center of attraction for Catholics, Berissutti believed that many will include Venice in their itinerary.
As one in four Italians go abroad for the holidays during the summer months, an equal number or more foreigners go to Italy for their vacation.
"When in Italy, many make it a point to visit Venice. You did," she said. Indeed because Venice is different.

Heaven on Earth

ITALY - 301,323 sq km in all - is, without a doubt, a beautiful country.
From the north in Venice to the south in Sicily - despite the obvious economic disparity - the country is rich in history and culture.
There are many gems in the country. Each city has its own attractions.
Venice, for example, is famous for its gondolas. This is attracting thousands of tourists to Venice every year. Unlike other cities in Italy, the waterways in Venice take the role of roads while the gondolas replace the motorised and non-motorised land vehicles.
The part of Venice thronged by thousands of tourists every year is on an island, which is linked to the mainland by a bridge. As the Venice-Marco Polo airport is on the mainland, many passengers take the watertaxis into the city's main area, San Marco Square.
Many who have been to London's Trafalgar Square may be able to identify with San Marco Square - pigeons totalled as many as those who thronged the square. The pigeons make the monuments and old buildings their home.
And, Milan is definitely the fashion capital of Italy, if not Europe. Tourists, especially the Japanese, line up the stores at Via Montenapoleone and Via della Spiga, where Italy's best of fashion houses are located. In summer where sales are held, entire stocks of Max Mara, Ferragamo and Versace are snapped up within minutes.
Ferragamo stores, for example, seemed to be the first to complete the summer sales. "We finished our sales 10 days ago, madame ... The Japanese came and bought us out," a salesman told this reporter when asked about their sales items.
Florence holds many treasures including in the Church of the Santa Croce (Church of the Holy Cross) where the tombs of about 300 of the richest and most famous Florentine families are housed.
They include the tombs of Michelangelo who died in Rome but whose body was brought back to Florence, Machiavelli, Dante, Gioachino Rossini and Galileo.
Michaelangelo's David - described as the "perfect human body" – stands majestically in the famed Galleria del Accademia (Museum of the Arts). The second pieta - Virgin Mary holding Jesus after the cruxification – he carved when he was 60 years old is also housed there.
His first pieta, the one he did when he was much younger, found its home in St Peter's at the Vatican and his sculpture of Moses at St Johns' in Rome.
The best way to travel and see Italy is definitely by road. Italy's countryside is beautiful - fields and fields of sunflowers which are planted for its oil between Florence and Rome and lemon and olive orchards from Naples to Positano.
The sight of the sea when one gets into Genoa leaves one almost breathless. Active volcanoes, Mount Vesuvius in Naples and Mount Etna in Taormina, are sights to behold.
The train ride between Naples and Syracuse in Sicily is definitely unforgettable - not because it was an ardous eight-hour journey but a scenic coastal route.
Every corner of Italy's main cities tells a story which goes centuries back.
Rome, for instance, is like an open history book. Excavation work in the middle of the city reveals the Roman capital of old.
If there are heavens on earth, places in Italy can be called just that - Lago Maggiore (between Milan and Turin), Portofino (Genoa), Positano (Naples) and Taormina (Sicily), just to name a few.
A mere mention of Sicily would make one imagine it as the home of the Italian Mafia. Cities in Sicily such as Taormina and Messina have not suffered much because of this label. In fact, these two cities are tourists' playing ground during the summer.
"Mafia?" Taormina mayor Mario Bolognari asked. "Well, we are all mafias here," he said jokingly, pointing to the some of the city's businessmen met by this reporter.
Castelmola mayor Guiseppe Biondo is full of ideas of ways to promote his small city located on a hill overlooking Taormina. "I am planning a once a year festival of Castelmola," says the 37-year old mayor.
The view of the city at night from Castelmola is simply awesome. On the way up to Castelmola, one can also stop mid-point to visit what the locals dubbed as "Madonna In the Rocks". It may sound like a cocktail of some kind but it is a quaint little church in a small cave overlooking the city.
Many do not know that the city of Taormina hosts an annual film festival. The Taormina film festival, for example, merits Italy's best in the film industry. Guests often include international actors such as Franco Nero and his wife, Vanessa Redgrave. The film festival also features international new releases such as Nottinghill which starred Julia Roberts and Hugh Grant.
And it would not be complete if talking about Italy, one does not mention the food and the people.
The secret to the delectable array of dishes must be the use of the olive oil, which gives the extra smooth subtleness of the pastas, fish and beef.
Each city has its own specialty, be it the pasta, main dishes or desserts. And the expresso? Just the thing to start one's morning.
The people are equally beautiful, exuding charm and warmth, going all out to make total strangers feel at home. Greeting people, even total strangers irrespective of race and colour, with "Buon Giorno" or "Buena Sera", is like a religion - an act which should be emulated the world over.
Locals say throwing a coin into the Trevi Foundation in Rome will see one making a return visit. Make sure a coin is thrown into the fountain when one visits the city. A return visit is definitely a must.