Mandatory Venice, Part 1 (the Doge’s Palace)

We were able to visit the Doge’s Palace early this morning before it opened to the general public. Herewith, some photos.

The only real street in Venice. It is built atop an old canal.
Two of the 118 islands of Venice and the canal separating them.
The old Venetian Arsenal, now largely an exhibit hall for the Bienale.

Speaking of the Bienale….
The leaning bell tower of the Greek Orthodox church

I’m not sure that Taiwan is *really* invited to the Bianele, since they have a “Collateral Event”
Our first gondoliers
Doge’s Palace
Venice at Rest
The winged lion is the symbol of Venice
Clock Tower
Giant’s Staircase
Cistern in the Doge’s Palace – one of hundreds in Venice
The Loggia with its original terrazzo floor
Insert your anonymous denuciations here!
Ceiling of the Golden Staircase
On the Golden Staircase

The Doge is wearing the hat. Saint Mark with the halo is accompanying the doge. Mary and Jesus are in the right center.
Red is love; blue is divine wisdom.
The queen (Venice) recieving peace and justice. Veronese is the painter
In the Senate Chamber
A typical Venetian clock. It shows all 24 hours; sunset is at the top (about 1800 hours).

Juno (at the top) is giving treasures to Venice (at the bottom). There’s also a lion representing Venice at the bottom right.
This is the inside of an anonymous denuncation box – the police read the reports that were deposited and decided what to do about them, if anything.
In the room of the 40 judges
Old Fresco
St. George Island from the room of the great council of Venice, which holds 2000 people!
The black cloth represents the only Doge who betrayed Venice – he wanted to become King. He was beheaded. The cloth is to blot his name out -but of course everyone remembers his name anyway, much like Haman.

Commemorating the vote uniting Venice with the Kingdom of Italy
Lion of Saint Mark (Carpaccio)
A prison cell
View from the Bridge of Sighs
The Avogaria
After you leave the prison, you MUST go to the Gift Shop!

This side of St. Marks is Greek marble, not Italian! It was easier to get marble from Greece than from the rest of Italy.
Tidal flooding
One last view of the Bridge of Sighs
Pizza came to Venice is 1947
Not just a mask shop, but a workshop where the masks are made and decorated
The old Venetian Republic flag
Vivaldi was baptized in this church. It’s in a very quiet square, one which our guide called one of the secret parts of Venice, where the “normal” Venetians actually live.
Back on the S. S. La Venizia!

From Milan to Verona to Venice

We left Milan before 7am, toured Verona for 90 minutes, had a wonderful lunch and tasting at Villa Serego Alighieri (no photos), and arrived in Venice to board the S. S. La Venizia about 4pm. We’ve taken a short sail across the lagoon and are docked for the evening. Here are a few highlights.

Verona

Medusa: the Romans used her as a protective symbol
A fortified family compound – Romeo and Juliet was accurate about families having blood feuds
Carved heads above archways are typical of Verona
The Madonna of Verona, aka the Lady of the City.
Juliet’s Balcony
The hat is here because the Capello (“hat”) family owned the house. It’s now “Juliet’s House” because “Capello” sounds like “Capulet”!
Rubbing the statue of Juliet is supposed to bring good luck.
Piazza del Signore, the political heart of the city; also known as Dante Square from the statue of Dante in the center of the square
Dante looks thoughtful
Local wine!
Cemetery compound of the DellaScala family, who ruled Verona in the 13th and 14th centuries
Arena of Verona (the Roman Coliseum was modeled after it); part of the façade is visible on the left. It is used for the annual opera festival and will host the closing ceremony of the 2026 Winter Olympics.
This was the gladiators’ entrance in Roman times. Now it’s the VIP entrance!
Castel Vecchio on the Adige River

Venice

We arrive at the S.S. La Venezia
Venice awaits
The first of many bridges we will see here