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.