The Doge's Palace & Grand Canal - July 9, 2012

This morning after a delicious breakfast on the hotel terrace we were off for our tour of the secret part of the Doge's Palace.  The Doge was the titular head of state of Venice during the time when it was a republic.  His palace, which was also the seat of government, adjoins San Marco.  Part of the palace was open to the public but there was a side of it that was kept secret and included the archives of the city, tribunals, torture chambers and prisons.  Perhaps the most famous prisoner was Casanova.

The tour was interesting as we made our way through the second and third floors of the palace.  Unfortunately, it's not air-conditioned so it was also incredibly hot!  One of the things we saw along the way was the Mouth of Truth.  There were a number of these around Venice.  People could put in an anonymous letter accusing someone of a misdeed of any kind.  The matter was then investigated.  If it was found to be untrue, efforts were made to determine who the slanderer was and he would receive the punishment that fit the crime he had wrongly accused someone of committing.

After the tour we bought vaporetto passes and did what I think is one of the most incredible things to do in Venice.  We took the vaporetto to Lido (the end of the line) and had seats in the bow.  Then we rode back to Venice across the lagoon and saw the city from the water level along the Grand Canal.  Each time I have done this I see something new that I missed before.  Each building is unique even in the shapes and embellishments of the windows.  Depending on the time of day and the light,  one gets different perspectives.

The Doge's Palace from the No.1 Vaporetto