Venice, Vedi, Vici

CEBU, Philippines — It was official; mom and I were lost in the maze that was Venice. But would I admit it? No, I’d rather drown myself in the Grand Canal first.

How did this city come to be? Venice was born out of necessity, and for the people who founded it in 5 CE that need was to be safe from the barbarians who regularly raided Roman territories.

The early Venetians found marshland that was shallow enough for them to build wooden platforms on. Upon these were built the first buildings that would eventually make up the city.

Because it was protected from invaders by a lagoon, this humble marshland settlement prospered and soon even rose to become a superpower of the medieval world. However, it fell to Napoleon in 1727 before it could become even more powerful.

Fancy a gondola ride? Expect to spend upwards of €90 (P5,400) for a 40-minute loop around the most picturesque canals.

Aside from the numerous family-run restaurants and big-name stores that can be found along its narrow streets, the biggest attractions here include the Doge’s Palace and St. Mark’s Cathedral (both conveniently located next to each other in Piazza San Marco). Both played a big part in the area’s history.

The Doge’s palace houses the Grand Ballroom, in its time one of the biggest rooms in Europe. It also has the largest oil painting in the world in one of its walls.

The palace is also famous for the Bridge of Sighs where prisoners passed before serving their jail sentences. The bridge is so called because it allowed convicted Venetians a final glimpse of their beloved city just before entering the jail. For most of them (especially political prisoners) it was a life sentence.

The Cathedral of St. Mark is famous for the lifelike bronze statues of four horses. Pay no attention to the ones outside the church; the real ones are in the museum inside the church. Legend has it that whenever these horses are moved an empire will fall.

For the history buffs there is also the house of Marco Polo at the end of Calle Scaletta, if you are willing to brave a maze of bridges and islands to get there.

Even if you have no agenda or destination in particular, don’t worry; getting lost in the jumble of sights, smells, and sounds that is Venice becomes an experience in itself.