%cb%fa%s5Ponte Chiodo, the bridge without parapet and other Venice, Italy Off The Beaten Path Tips

Ponte Chiodo, the bridge without

parapet

The "Ponte Chiodo" (Nail Bridge) is unique as it is the only bridge in Venice that has no parapet. The name of the bridge comes from the surname of the noble family which owned the bridge in the past.

The bridge leads to a dead end, so the chances of having to cross this bridge are rather slim, unless of course you made reservations at one of Venice�s rather well known B&B called "3749 Ponte Chiodo", which is located on the other side of the bridge.

The most logical explanation that this little bridge it is still without a railing, unlike all the other bridges in Venice, is that it doesn�t lead to a public street but ends up a house. An interesting fact is that all the first Venetian bridges were without a parapet, but the railings have been added over time. I can guess why, as I probably would be one of the first to stumble over my feet and take an unwanted dive into the water if there were no railings. So I didn't take any risks at this bridge, and only admired it from a distance ;-)

Although this little bridge is not that hard to find, it is easily overlooked when exploring the district of Cannaregio. The bridge spans over the little "Rio San Felice" Canal, at the point where it merges into Canale della Misericordia. To get here is easy: walk south along "Canale della Misericordia", and then cross the first bridge that leads eastward. Head on 50 m and there it is. (Thanks Ingrid for giving me tips and directions to this unique little bridge!).

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Back Street Canals: Saint George and the Dragon

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Updated by sim1

on Mar 3, 2008

St.George and the Dragon at the

Campo San Zulian

by sim1 , 2 more photos

In the small and very busy streets of the Mercuries of Venice, between the St.Marco and the Rialto Bridge you can see a relief of St.George and the Dragon. These narrow streets are famous for being a busy shopping area, but as I am not that much into shopping my head was looking up instead of into the shops. And it is fascinating what you will find by doing so. I was really happy to spot this relief of Saint George and the Dagon on the Campo San Zulian. This is certainly not the only "St.George and the Dragon" to be found in Venice, but this one of the two that I 'bumped' into.

Another well known relief of St.George and the Dragon can be found at the Church of San Giorgio Maggiore. My second find however was at San Toma (see third photo). This relief of Saint George and the Dragon was taken (if I remember correctly) directly after getting off from the Vaparetto at San Toma.

St.George and the Dragon is a famous legend that tells of a terrible dragon that demanded human offerings from the town of Selene as its price for not destroying the town. The day that the King's daughter was to be sacrificed, St.George comes riding by. He promises to kill the dragon if the town's heathen inhabitants convert to Christianity.

The legend of Saint George and the Dragon is famous and is widespread through the whole of Europe so I keep my eyes open these days if I can spot signs of this old legend in the places that I visit. You can read more about the legend of Saint George on this website:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saint_George_and_the_Dragon

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Back Street Canals: The Camel house

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Updated by sim1

on Mar 3, 2008

Palazzo Mastelli (House of the

Camel)

by sim1 , 1 more photos

Palazzo Mastelli (House of the Camel) sometimes also called Palazzo del Cammello, Campo dei Mori, Cannaregio. On the other side of the canal from the church Madonna dell'Orto.

http://www.venice-sights.co.uk/campo-dei-mori.htm

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Burano: Burano.... my favourite place...

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Updated by sim1

on Jan 26, 2005

Burano

Burano.... my favourite place of Venice!!! So beautiful! And the colours are just amazing! Burano is a little island in the Venice archipelo. It is a lazy fishing village. And when you go there on a sunny day as I did.... wow, you won't believe your eyes! I loved it here! I have taken so many photos of Burano, hahaha, impossible to show them all. But I did a very good try... and you can see them in this 'off the beaten path' section. So put on your sunglasses, and enjoy these colourfull tips!

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Burano: Taking the Vaperetto to Burano

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Updated by sim1

on Jan 26, 2005

Taking the Vaperetto to Burano

The way to get to Burano is to take the vaporetto lines 12 or 14 from Venice's Fondamenta Nuove. This vaporetto also takes you Murano (famous for its glass blowing) and Torcello.

It takes about 40 minutes by ferry from Venice to Burano. It's a beautiful trip on a sunny day like I had. It was a bit chilly because it was November, but the sun was just warm enough. It was wonderful to sit outside on the deck. Hahaha, you have to be quick though, because these seats seem to be gone the fastest. The other option is to sit inside, which is heated.

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Murano: A closer look at the lighthouse of Murano

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Updated by sim1

on Jan 26, 2005

Lighthouse of Murano

Let�s take a closer look at the lighthouse (faro) of Murano. Murano is located just north of Venice and is world famous for its Venetian glass. On this island you can watch glassblowers at work making all kinds of beautiful objects. I had to make a choice, as I only had a few days to visit Venice. So I decided to skip Murano on this trip. Sigh, I wish I could see it all! Hahaha, I guess it's a good motivation to go back to Venice again. I don't think this city with its beautiful islands will ever start to bore me.

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Burano: A first impression of beautiful Burano

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Updated by sim1

on Jan 24, 2005

Burano

The first impression of the beautiful island of Burano : little canals that run through the village with colourful houses on either side of the canal. On the canal there are little boats making it all look even more picturesque. A sunny day completed the picture. wow, I was so amazed by this picturesque place.
I couldn't help it to keep on clicking my camera in Burano until this beautiful light faded away announcing the start of the evening.

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Burano: The colourful houses

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Updated by sim1

on Jan 26, 2005

Burano

Of course, after getting fascinated by this place, I wondered about its history and why these houses are painted in so many different brilliant colours. An explanation for it is that the fishermen would like to be able to see their own houses from far out at sea.

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Burano: Canals

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Updated by sim1

on Jan 26, 2005

Burano

There are several canals in Burano, so you don't have to really search to find them. I think this is the Rio Pontinello. When you get off the vaparetto don't follow the route to the city center but go left. Just wander through the little streets and you'll be sure to end up at this canal.

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Burano: Bright green and blue

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Updated by sim1

on Jan 26, 2005

Bright green and blue, Burano,

Venice