Christmas in Venezia - Night Shots

photos by Nereo Zane

I was looking through previous posts for photos relating to Christmas and I came upon these three - posted originally here in December of 2007.

The photos were shot in Venice by Nereo in December of '06, and they give us a nice view of what we might see if we were to walk around la Serenissima right now.

This shot was taken from the Riva del Vin – a spot along the Grand Canal that’s just a stone’s throw from the Rialto Bridge. The buildings in the photo are the Palazzo Farsetti and the Palazzo Loredan. Both palazzi were built around the year 1200 and now contain the offices of the Mayor of Venice among other things.

Most of our views of Piazza San Marco feature the dramatic Basilica, the towering Campanile, or maybe the clock of the Torre dell'Orologio.  For Christmas, someone added a little holiday cheer to a less-photographed portico and it looks like it's right out of a movie.

Finally, here's a striking view of the church known as Santa Maria della Salute. Completed in 1687, this famous hall of worship was built to give thanks for deliverance from a terrible plague which devastated Venice.
During the Festival of La Salute in November, gondoliers have traditionally brought their oars to be blessed on the steps of the basilica.