Venetian Downpour

Because Venice has banned cruise ships in its waters, Viking has been parking its ships west of the city in the industrial port of Fusina. This port is not the most beautiful in the area, but there is a certain propriety in docking there since it is adjacent to the Fincantieri Shipyard, the place where the Viking Sky and her sister ships were born. However, just a few days ago our crew learned that “a continuing environmental study” would prevent our ship from landing there, and somehow the officers onboard scrambled and arranged to dock at the port at Ravenna, about a hundred miles south of Venice.

So . . .

We boarded a bus in Ravenna this morning in a blinding rain, expecting to ride about three hours to drive to the big bus parking lot on the west end of Venice.

But . . .

On the bus were told that we would not go to Venice. We would go instead to Chioggia, a very small port south of Venice, to board a boat for a ninety-minute “scenic” boat ride into the city. We got off the bus in a deluge with umbrella-breaking winds. With the rain and fogged windows we saw little beyond the gunwales of our boat. At least we were able to ride inside the boat, not up on the deck.

Four and one half hours after we had left Ravenna we disembarked in Venice in a pelting rain. It was difficult to appreciate the sights our guide valiantly described because we were working hard to stay dry. She also maintained her composure when at least two residents of the town passed our group and shot her with some rather strong insults. I had on rain pants, a water-resistant jacket with a rain shell over that. I was not soaked, but my underclothes were damp. Glenda danced to avoid being poked in the eye a third time by the tip of an umbrella rib. Our guide was wise enough to shorten her usual presentation to allow us passengers to find shelter and warm up in nearby coffee bars.

With only an hour and a half in the city, no one had time to visit churches or museums. Some of our group did not finish their lunches. Of course Glenda and I have been here a few times before and have soaked in the wonderful sights, museums and religious buildings. However, I felt sorry for the people who were here for the first time. They left here today with no idea of the art, history or culture of this magnificent city.

Glenda had the foresight to make two ham and cheese rolls in the ship’s buffet at breakfast. I packed them in my travel jacket with two bottles of water, several bags of peanuts and two granola bars. Our first time here we paid forty dollars for a little personal-sized pizza and a coke in St. Mark’s Square. But hey! We weren’t paying for a lunch: we were paying for a thousand years of architecture and culture surrounding us in the square. Today we huddled under a sotoportego on a quiet street to avoid the rain and had our own little Venetian picnic.

Venice has banned cruise ships in her docks. Next year the city will also begin to impose a stiff fee for visitors here. I was troubled by the obscene comments residents directed at our guide today. It may be that such measures will reduce large number of tourists who flood the city and make Venice more pleasant for its citizens. We passed the beautiful docks built just a few years ago by the Port Authority of Venice. They were empty—not a single ship. They looked like a ghost town. Perhaps Venice will go too far in reducing the number of visitors. Perhaps she already has. The city may already have made visiting Venice more trouble than it is worth. For us today, that was certainly the case. And that breaks my heart.Read more