Venice is home to Vivaldi and Baroque concerts but I have lost my voice- literally. To Matt's tiny delight, I have laryngitis. It is not painful, I just can't speak. The boys have been so sweet giving extra hugs to mom and Nash has taken over reading our treasure hunt (more on that later), so there have been some benefits-
Today was our first day of exploring Venice's famous sites with our soon to be favorite Venetian- Rosanna. We climbed to the top of the beautiful gothic St. Mark's Basilica for a bird's eye view of the amazing 24K gold mosaics. From here we could also see the tomb of the apostle of St. Mark and marvel at the original gilt bronze horses- the Triumphal Quadriga- from the 13th century.
The highlight of the day and maybe the most enjoyed "tour" by the boys on the trip so far was the "Secret Itinerary of the Doge's Palace" where we explored the secret doors & passageways, hidden stairways and the dungeons of the ruler's palace. It was fascinating to see the stone cells where political prisoners were kept silent (turns out I was not the only one without a voice....)and often forgotten. The boys loved listening to Rosanna tell the tale of Casanova and his famous escape as they were standing in the very places he and his accomplice made their way back to freedom. Her storytelling gave life to the history of how political matters were handled at that time. We ended the visit with viewing a large stash of medieval weaponry in the attic- superb!
In the afternoon, I went to the hotel and rested while Matt took the boys out. They discovered a museum that featured replica's of Leonardo da Vinci's mechanical creations which proved to be very interesting for the boys as well.
The highlight of the day and maybe the most enjoyed "tour" by the boys on the trip so far was the "Secret Itinerary of the Doge's Palace" where we explored the secret doors & passageways, hidden stairways and the dungeons of the ruler's palace. It was fascinating to see the stone cells where political prisoners were kept silent (turns out I was not the only one without a voice....)and often forgotten. The boys loved listening to Rosanna tell the tale of Casanova and his famous escape as they were standing in the very places he and his accomplice made their way back to freedom. Her storytelling gave life to the history of how political matters were handled at that time. We ended the visit with viewing a large stash of medieval weaponry in the attic- superb!
In the afternoon, I went to the hotel and rested while Matt took the boys out. They discovered a museum that featured replica's of Leonardo da Vinci's mechanical creations which proved to be very interesting for the boys as well.
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| The famous Rialto bridge- the world's first strip mall |
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| No escape from the deep dark dungeon! |
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| The "questioning" room otherwise known as the torture room - before sentencing and the walk across the feared "Bridge of Sighs" which led the condemned from the palace to the dungeon |
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| Inside San Marco Basicila- notice the 24K gold mosaics on the walls and St. Marks tomb near the altar |
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| "Bridge of Sighs" at night |
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| Leonardo da Vinci's "machine gun" |
Fun Fun! I had forgotten how multi-talented da Vinci was. Doge's Palace seems a bit spooky with much forgotten history. Sounds like an interesting "guy day." Kel, take care of yourself and get well very soon. Stay warm. Maybe the Italian locals with have a "sure fire" remedy for your laryngitis. Love the photos. GoGo
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