Venetian voyage

VENICE, Italy - The thought of water-filled streets strikes terror into the hearts of Eastern Iowans, and anyone else who has experienced a flood.

But in Venice, water-filled 'streets” have been a way of life since 400 A.D., when refugees hid in the marshy islands of the Venetian Lagoon to escape the barbaric Huns and Visigoths invading the nearby mainland.

As the Roman Empire collapsed, more people fled to the archipelago along the Adriatic seacoast. Over the centuries, a city emerged atop 117 islands, fortified by driving wooden pilings into the mud to support wooden pallets upon which magnificent buildings were constructed. The swirling saltwater petrifies the wood - alder trees from Slovenia and Croatia - turning it rock-hard.

The city became an important seaport and center of commerce, with Venetian explorer Marco Polo bringing home tales and goods from the exotic Silk trade route leading to China.

Today, 177 canals and 409 bridges link the islands, allowing 60,000 core residents and 50,000 visitors per day to easily navigate this breathtaking World Heritage Site, rich in art, architecture and atmosphere. (Another 176,000 people live on mainland Venice, but our gondolier said they don't count.)

Even in the heat of late June, when you've already taken one shower, only to step outside into a sweat shower, this city is the jewel in Italy's most dazzling crown.

I've been to Venice twice now. First, in 1988, with the Marion Community Band, and this summer as the optional add-on to a choir tour that began in Germany and wound its way to Rome via the Czech Republic and Austria. Past and present members of Chorale Midwest, several spouses and director Bradley Barrett's voice students sang where notes ring through the acoustical perfection of glorious cathedrals, basilicas and an Alpine church, with its plain exterior giving no hint to the ornate treasures awaiting us inside.

As gorgeous as all the sights were along the way, Venice was - and always will be - the exclamation point on any Italian sojourn.

This structural wonder remains sheltered from the mainland by a shallow three-mile waterway and from the sea by the seven-mile Lido sandbar, home to 20,000 people.

BY FOOT

We arrived after an eight-hour train ride from Rome, only to discover the city trains that would take us practically to our hotel doorstep, were on strike. After hailing several cabs, then dragging ourselves and our luggage over the modern Ponte della Costituzione bridge linking terra firma with the islands, we made it to this pedestrian wonderland, where only your feet will carry you through the streets and alleys. No cars allowed.

Walking is the best way to experience Venice, where ducking into shops not only affords you the chance to buy a new leather bag, you just might stumble into some welcome air conditioning. Every few feet you'll find gelato shops, too, and after all that walking and sweating, you just can't get enough of this creamy confection that puts ice cream to shame. Guide tip: Real pistachio gelato should look almost brown; the green stuff is made to allure tourists.

Nestled among the open-air markets, vendor carts and shops are the most incredible historic buildings, cathedrals and piazzas. Just up the narrow cobblestone street from our hotel was Campo San Geremia, a huge square anchored by the church of San Geremia, where the remains of St. Lucia of Syracuse are enshrined, her face covered in a silver mask.

On one side, the church opens to the square, the other side overlooks the Grand Canal. The church itself is easily overlooked for visitors en route to the more famous and popular San Marco Basilica and square.

But those who do step inside San Geremia are richly rewarded with views of high domed ceilings, ornate altars, marble floors, paintings, frescos and a restored wooden clock dating back to 1500. Visitors can see and hear it work, beating out the passing seconds and minutes, then striking bells on the hour from 3 a.m. to midnight.

Another highlight of strolling along the streets is discovering delightful cafes and canal-side restaurants, where hosts beckon you to sit and enjoy a leisurely meal. Ours even offered to hold his best table for our foursome, and encouraged us to walk around until the present diners were finished. We ambled along the canal for 30 minutes or so, and true to his word, our table was waiting for us, complete with an accordion player to serenade us.

Drinking in the surroundings and early evening bustle is as enjoyable as drinking in the vino accompanying our pasta and seafood. Because when you're in Italy, you just have to have pasta, seafood and wine. It's the law (or should be).

CANALS

And yes, even the ambulances are boats in Venice, as we saw a yellow one go zipping by.

For dessert, we chose a gondola ride. Since the exchange rate was nearly 1:1 for euros and dollars in late June, our rate of 100 euros meant an even, easy, affordable split of 25 apiece. Dusk turned out to be a lovely time for winding through the canals, seeing the lights come on and dance across the waters. Our sixth-generation gondolier didn't sing, but he regaled us with city history, anecdotes and asides. Do not view these sleek, black enamel long boats propelled by dashing men as tourist traps. They are an experience not to be missed.

Afterward, the city was still bustling, so we decided to explore the Jewish Ghetto and surrounding area. Our gondolier assured us walking around after dark would be perfectly safe, and we never felt anything but welcomed - even walking down a dark alley to get to a synagogue, encircled by a school with colorful artwork in the windows, and families with little children laughing and dining at sidewalk cafes. We may have had another scoop of gelato, too.

But when you need to get from Point A to Point B more quickly than your feet can muster, grab a 24-hour pass and hop aboard the crowded waterbuses (vaporetti). A more expensive choice it a water taxi, which speeds across the Grand Canal into the lagoon that leads visitors from the main Venetian island to the glass factories of Murano and the lace shops of Burano. We asked our concierge how to get to Murano, and in seconds, he booked us free one-way passage to a specific glass factory and showroom. We took a water bus back, which was quick, easy and affordable.

Watching the glass artisans at work is fascinating and hot. The furnaces throw off a heat that is nearly unbearable, but seeing the molten glass take shape under skilled craftsmanship is captivating.

Our factory guide then led us into the showroom, where water was plentiful in the various rooms filled with everything from chandeliers and glass statues to decorative wine stoppers. In his youth, he served as the gondolier and aide to Peggy Guggenheim, who gave Jackson Pollock's 'Mural” to the University of Iowa. The priceless, recently restored painting was on view in her museum in 2015, one stop on its European tour.

SAN MARCO BASILICA

Of all the majestic museums and historic sites awaiting Venice visitors, the one mandatory stop is the Piazza San Marco, home to Basilica Cattedrale Patriarcale di San Marco, more commonly known as Saint Mark's Basilica. The 11th century masterpiece was closed for renovations in 1988, so this time, I couldn't wait to get inside and marvel in its history and grandeur.

Photos are not allowed beyond the entrance and exit area, and backpacks and umbrellas must be left at a checkpoint down a side street. Luckily, the lines weren't long when we were there, so going to the checkpoint wasn't a huge inconvenience. We didn't have to go to the back of the line.

San Marco's massive spires, domes, arched portals and marble statuary outside are a prelude to the splendor inside, where golden ceilings are covered in mosaics depicting biblical scenes. Every inch of this massive structure is a masterwork of Italo-Byzantine art and architecture, down to the mosaic inlays underfoot. The basilica originally was built as the ruling doge's cathedral, connected to the Doge's Palace. It became the city's cathedral in 1807, the seat for the Catholic Archbishop of Venice.

Visitors can easily devote half a day - or more - to exploring the splendor of the buildings surrounding the square, with plenty of cafes for alfresco dining.

Any day in Venice is a great day. But do yourself a favor and spend a week there. I will, next time.