10 Facts about Venice that few people know

People believe that Venice is a super-romantic city, but they are not entirely sure: just get to know old Venice and, slowly, this “mask” begins to fall, revealing its dark mysteries.

O awesome.club decided to show this city as the Venetians see it, and not just as it is seen by tourists.

In Venice there is no drainage and there are even those who say that there are not even plumbers. All garbage is thrown directly into the channels. However, they were designed in such a way that the tide carries the waste water waste to the sea, so the streets are always clean. But during heavy storms, in fact, some smell can arise. Generally the opinion of tourists in relation to the smell of Venice has two points of view: some simply smell the scent of freshness, and others of putrid water. To avoid the bad smell, we recommend that you travel in winter.

Approximately in the 17th century, the custom of wearing masks to protect one’s identity was invented, since the city is very small. They were used by lovers who wanted discretion or by people who needed to buy medicines to fight diseases considered shameful.

Later, however, some realized that hiding the face could be useful to deal with shady matters, as some masks even changed the tone of voice. Therefore, they began to use them to go to brothels and places of gambling in addition to being able to dress provocatively. From there began the decadence of Venice.

Because of this, it was decided to use them only in certain months. Over time, the custom became a Venetian carnival.

During a time in Venice, there was this mask for women, which, at first glance, it is difficult to understand how it was attached to the face. It was called “moretta”, sometimes also called “the silent maid” or “the pleasure of husbands” because inside it there was a special kind of button that women held between their teeth, making them mute. This added to the mystery.

Many think that Venice is just a city with a large number of canals. In reality, the city was built on an archipelago of 118 islands formed by about 150 channels in a shallow lagoon. Most likely this strange place has flooded at some point. When we look at the grand canal, we can see that it resembles a submerged avenue. Another curiosity: Venice is shaped like a fish.

In Venice it is forbidden:

Feed the pigeons, which are many (fine from 50 to 200 euros); Sit or lie down in St. Mark’s square, except in special places (200 euro fine); In addition, it is forbidden to eat in this square (200 euros fine); Swim in the canals (500 euro fine); Cycling, scootering and skateboarding through the city center (100 euros fine).

The deceased are transported in funerary gondolas to the shadowy island of São Miguel. Every 7 or 10 years, the remains are exhumed and the cinerary urns are placed in a columbarium. That way, the island will have enough space for new bodies.

Many have already realized that Venice doesn’t look like other regions of Italy. And they are right: for a long time – from the end of the 7th century until 1797 – it was an autonomous state, quite large and powerful, called the Republic of Venice, which after the Napoleonic wars went into decline. Thus, the republic joined the Austrian Empire and later entered the kingdom of Italy.

Therefore, it is better not to order pizza or spaghetti in Venice, it is better to try some of the local food.

Pay attention to the photographs: one of the two is not Venice.

In 1999, the casino “Venice” was opened in Las Vegas, USA. Bridges, houses and canals were built around it, as well as gondolas with “gondoliers”. Some people say they like American Venice more than the original. By the way, the real “Queen of the Adriatic” is shown in the photo above.

Often Venice “sinks” (its tide rises) and this phenomenon is called “acqua alta”. Previously this was only observed 9 times a year, now it happens about 100 times.

In addition, the first place that suffers from this phenomenon is the famous St. Mark’s square, as it is the lowest place in the city. It may be that in the morning you can take a leisurely stroll, in the afternoon the water reaches your ankles and, in a few hours, everything is back to normal.

No, we are not saying that it will slowly sink, year after year. This is usually a deception to attract more tourists, claiming they need to visit the city soon or they won’t have the opportunity to see it.

What happens is that, in 2009, activists held the funeral of Venice: along the Grand Canal towards the Administration, a procession sailed carrying a coffin next to the Venetian flag. The intention was to draw attention to the fact that the number of inhabitants of the city is falling at a catastrophic rate, as they are suffocated by tourists. There are only 55,000 natives on the island of Venice and it is said that within a few decades it will become a ghost town. There is even a “joke”: they say that the main inhabitants of Venice are tourists.

In any case, this is one of the most extraordinary and beautiful cities on Earth, which seems to have stopped in the 20th century, but is still as stunning today as it was back then. Don’t miss visiting Venice! It’s like a portal to another time!