My first article....

Touristic attractions in Venice

       My friends always say: “Don’t go to Venice, you will be disappointed”. But you don’t know Venice before you arrive there. I was so surprised and astonished and overwhelmed … to see this wonderful piece of paradise…

    

         It’s obvious that there are some symbolic places which you must see. First of all I recommend you St. Mark’s Square. The Piazza San Marco is the best known market in Venice surrounded by gorgeous cafes and boutiques. In Paris, every tourist must go to the Eiffel Tower, in London should see Big Ben or Trafalgar Square, and Italian equivalent is Piazza San Marco.

As we know Venice is divided into islands and canals, but the Grand Canal is only one great channel. It is approximately 3.8 km long, about 30-90 m wide and an average depth is five meters. The transport is provided by water buses, usually for public and there are private water taxis for tourists, so called gondolas.

         

On one of the banks of Grand Channel is situated one of the most beautiful churches in Venice, Basilica Santa Maria della Salute which was built in the 17th century. The church has five huge domes which are decorated with mosaics and carvings

 

The Rialto Bridge is the most famous of the bridges that cross the Grand Canal. The other two are the Scalzi and the Accademia Bridge. Why does the bridge attract many visitors? Firstly, because of its central location and secondly, its picturesque views of the Grand Canal. The Rialto is lined with rows of shops which sell jewellery, souvenirs, etc. Also you can find there numerous restaurants and cafes where you can rest.

The Doge’s Palace is a superb Gothic building that used to be the home of the Venetian chief magistrates. Since 1923, the Doge’s Palace has been a museum. You can see there elaborate architecture, priceless paintings and grand halls. It makes the Palace be one of the visitable museums in Venice.

Venice is the city with long history, marvelous traditions and numbers of celebrations. I would like to speak about carnivals and festivals. From the famous celebrations I can mention the festival Redentore, The Venice Film Festival and the National Holiday of Italy’s liberation. These traditions can be dated to the beginning of the 14^th century. 

Local people and tourists fill the roads in colorful historical masks and costumes. During this period Venice offers numerous possibilities for spending a fortune. You can find various interesting performances, parties, wine shops, booths with exotic animals, ropewalkers, theatres, cafes and even brothels. All this give you great opportunity to enjoy the Venice Carnival on the road. 

                         It is my friend Julia. She enjoyed carnivals in Venice...=)))

Yours, Ira...=)))