It was early afternoon and the Romanian professor and I had a delicious lunch on the terrace of this restaurant on the east side of Venice. My Canadian colleague just called me on my cell phone to tell me that he is ready to join us, we were near Calle Varisco and Calle Stella and our friend was coming from the Ducal Palace where he was visiting all morning with other conference participants. Not far, but in Venice? You travel by ship, nothing moves fast… This place makes you a believer in fairy tales. Cars are banned, so the only way to get around the 1,500-year-old city is on foot or on the water.
We were on our fourth day of this ‘time off’, for the first 3 days we were at a conference in Bologna called ‘The Future of Global Automotive Engineering’ invited by the organizers of the Canadian Automotive Institute, it was in early December. , there were 11 Canadians invited to this Conference out of approximately 380 people from around the world. Pretty big! It was organized by a consortium of Automobile Manufacturers and was mainly theoretical, that is, we were presented with theories and opinions from the Engineers who represented the Organisers. However, it was very good, we saw some remarkable presentations about our profession.
To my surprise, I was invited to this conference, I am a tool designer, owner of my engineering business in southern Ontario, and a member of several automotive associations and… I am glad to be nearing retirement because our industry in North America is decimated by the competition, mostly Chinese, Asian, South American. It’s not that they’re better than us, they never have been and I don’t think they’ll ever be better, they’re just working for about 10-20% of the prices we charge in North America. This is one of the reasons why this Conference was organized, to find ways to stay competitive… God help us! Oh, but enough of our problems, let’s get to the purpose of this short article.
Some of us decided to take this opportunity to be in Italy and visit some surrounding cities for a few days after the Conference. Today was Thursday, we were three guys coming to Venice in a rented car on the A13 motorway, this was our first day in Venice.
These days, many places claim to be “the Venice of…” For example, cities that claim to be “the Venice of the North” include Amsterdam, St. Petersburg, Russia, and others. But there is only one Venice. And it is beautiful
Founded in the 5th century and spread over 118 small islands, Venice became a major maritime power in the 10th century. The entire city is an extraordinary architectural masterpiece in which even the smallest building contains works by some of the greatest artists of the world, such as Giorgione, Titian, Tintoretto, Veronese and others. Physical remnants of the time when Venice was at the heart of a great trading empire are everywhere. There are grand palaces designed to impress visiting dignitaries and magnificent paintings of everyday life in the galleries. Cobblestone alleys lead to stone bridges over canals so narrow there’s barely room for one of the brightly painted gondolas to pass. The network of islands feels like a large, creaky, aging and ambitious trading ship, moored in port but still ready to take on the world. La Serenissima, (the most serene), is full of palaces and art, fine shops and excellent food. Relax in Piazza San Marco, at the Palazo Ducale, visit the basilicas, sip a bellini at Harry’s Bar and wander the alleyways and bridges.
Consider an off-season trip to have more of the city to yourself. Now this is important, if you appreciate art you should visit in winter or early spring or late fall like we did. In summer everywhere in Italy there are too many tourists, you wait in line for most things.
The professor had worked in Venice for a while and was familiar with the hidden gardens and galleries. And so we wander. And admired. At least the physical environment.
It must not be easy to live in Venice. It’s like trying to live in an amusement park. The corner cafe is packed with transient tourists and ill-trained tour guides stand outside their window yelling historical nonsense at bored couples who just want it all to be over so they can go buy Murano glass. This will pretty much describe the American tourist, won’t it…?
That’s the only reason I can think of why the Venetians can be so, err, useless. I watched as tourists were apparently deliberately given wrong directions and a lame man with a cane was left standing on the rocking passenger boat, with no one willing to give him a seat. The tourists were not more considerate and treated the city like a hotel room that someone will clean later.
Yes, the city of Venice was one of the most beautiful I had ever seen, but the stress of human interactions quickly took its toll on me. After another unhappy encounter, the professor and I gave up and were trying to find a boat back to the train when we met up with two of my Canadian colleagues. We all wonder some more and the Professor finds a local restaurant that he knew, a little off the tourist trail, very charming, we all eat and discuss politics.
We cover everything from the effect of climate change on Venice to the most delicious local pastries. Given enough time (both colleagues had some commitments), I’m sure we could have solved the world’s problems. Or at least, with the Professor’s help, he predicted them. It was one of those perfect moments, when traveling not only makes sense, but seems like the only thing worth doing.
This trip to Venice proved to me once again that the most beautiful city does not leave as much of an impression as the warmest home. It was almost mid-December and Christmas preparations were in full swing. And the music of Christmas…! I truly believe that these are the most beautiful moments in the creation of the human race. Why humanity puts so much feeling in a religious festival. It is really wonderful!
We all returned to our families with the promise of returning to this ancient and historic city.