You are taking a solitary walk, very early on a grey, foggy morning. You are surrounded by ancient brick buildings, with laundry waving across clotheslines and shuttered windows keeping their secrets safe from the outside world. Cold, empty cobblestone streets, damp from the morning mist, lead you nowhere. You are completely alone, save for a small cat cleaning its paws and staring at you curiously. Your footsteps echo down silent winding alleyways, and when you pause for a moment to listen, you hear nothing but the distant sound of water lapping against stone.
This is Venice, one of the most elegant and mysterious cities in the world. It is almost difficult to describe the mystifying beauty of this place, which is unlike anything else on earth. I was fortunate enough to spend 10 days in Venice this winter, as part of a fall semester Shakespeare class I had taken. It would be an understatement to say that I fell in love with the city and the culture, and I most certainly plan on going back one day.
It is important to note that Venice, though it is technically in Italy, is nothing like other Italian cities. Throughout its history Venice has been separated from the rest of Europe. Built entirely on top of a cluster of islands (117 to be exact), it was physically removed from the mainland. Even today Venetians consider themselves to be first citizens of Venice, independent from “Italians.” At the same time they are welcoming to everyone. Everywhere I went I felt like I was being taken in as a part of the community and culture, which made it very easy to fall in love with everything I did and saw.
Not only is the attitude of the people different from other places in Italy, but the atmosphere is as well. Venice is completely a pedestrian city. There are no roads big enough for cars or motorbikes. People walk everywhere, which I think allows you to familiarize yourself with the city in a way you are unable to anywhere else. My favorite part about the lack of vehicles is that you can actually hear things. You can hear everything! If you stand still you can really hear the water in the canals lapping against the streets. You can hear people going about their daily lives and you can hear yourself breathe. You feel like you are a part of a bigger picture, of a living thing. It is almost as if the city itself has a soul.
Being a Shakespeare enthusiast I have to admit that my absolute favorite part of the trip was living and moving in the places where some of my favorite plays were set. In class we read "The Merchant of Venice," "Othello," and "Romeo and Juliet" (which admittedly takes place in Verona but we went there too). I went to the Jewish Ghetto and I saw where Shylock and Jessica would have lived. I went to the Piazza Rialto where in "The Merchant of Venice" and in our actual history merchants traded and bartered and did business. I even stumbled upon the street where Othello and Desdemona supposedly would have had their honeymoon night (if they were indeed real people).
Seeing all of these places made Shakespeare's work come alive to me in a way it never had before. It was like magic. I highly suggest, if you ever get the opportunity, that you go to Venice, and fall in love the way I so easily and happily did.
