Venezia and its lagoon: spleen and Ideal close to Venice

[AntonellaGr]

Venetian Lagoon

Everybody knows Venezia but I am sure that most of you know Piazza San Marco, Rialto, Strada Nuova and only a few of you know other parts of Venezia “Unconventional Venice” as @ErmesT wrote in his post one year ago more or less. I was his guide as I know, and I love Venice, I studied there and I spent wonderful days with my friends I can still remember all the small and hidden “calli” and the shortcuts to skip tourists  🙂 

But today I want to introduce the environment of the Venetian lagoon and its contrasting aspects, that is why I have chosen the title Spleen and Ideal (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_Baudelaire)

Venezia and its ecosystem is very fragile, water and air are not clean. We are in Pianura Padana one of the most polluted area in Italy. Some time ago I wrote a post on Este, where I work one day a week, and its Roman ruins, which are not far from the industrial area. Now I want to show you the industrial area just before Ponte della Libertà, the road (a bridge) connecting Venezia to Terra Ferma (let’s say the land which is not lagoon). The area is improving but, trust me, is really depressing. The sky is ALWAYS grey, there are no trees (a few ones indeed, looking like “tree” in the Addams Family garden), the landscape is a sort of wasteland. If you decide to take a short walk, after lunch break, you follow a lonely track and a sort of industrial archeology.

Industrial area before Venezia  Industrial area before Venezia  Industrial area before Venezia

I know, all industrial areas (maybe) look the same but I am used to working in industrial area and the feeling of decay in this one is astonishing, especially if you know the beautiful part of the lagoon.

In fact, on the opposite site, a few kilometers away, the landscape changes completely. That’s the REAL lagoon that needs to be discovered, you can even learn how to “row” a gondola in a venetian style (voga alla veneta = rowing in a standing position with one or two oars). That’ s the most interesting part, a hidden part, of Venice: its lagoon. Sustainable tourism should take into account the whole area of Venice and make tourists discover, respectfully, its natural environment.

Venetian LagoonVenetian Lagoon

 Antonella

[ErmesT]

Yes, indeed Venezia is an area with several aspects and contraddictions @AntonellaGr.

A city devided in two parts by a bridge, with the touristic side in the middle of the lagoon, and the commercial / industrial side in "terraferma".

What you are showing is for sure one of the unexpected view of the city

[AntonellaGr]

The commercial/industrial area is an unexpected view, with its kind of "poetry" (spleen) indeed, but not the best view. The real (ideal) lagoon is Poetry!