Global Food Tour

Chapter 310 The Story of the Bridge of Sighs!

After going out, Zhang Feng stared at the groups of tourists coming in from the gate and found that most of the tourists just walked around slowly and counted themselves there, so the hall was not crowded.

I have nothing to do, so I can't help but think about it.At the beginning, it cost a lot to welcome St. Mark’s grandly into the church in Venice, where the faith was not strong, but how can the shrewd Venetians make a loss-making business.Beginning in the eleventh century, the Venetian government clearly stipulated that all ships returning to Venice from overseas must turn in a valuable gift to decorate the St. Mark's Cathedral.

You must know that before the Portuguese discovered the Cape of Good Hope at the end of the fifteenth century and opened up a new sea route between Europe and Asia, Europeans who wanted to do business in Asia could not skip Venice.

Therefore, for more than 400 years, Venice has been making crazy money. Both sides of the canal have become a big show for the rich in Venice. Especially in the 14th and 15th centuries, it was the peak period of construction. The various buildings that still attract many tourists are mostly built. that period.By the way, the Venetians have also developed the habit of sitting on the ground to make a fortune. It is also a major feature of Venice to openly conduct business in the church with golden sacred objects under the eyes of the saints.

This is an interesting story. Zhang Feng walked aimlessly to a place and saw an old man feeding the pigeons. He really started playing with the pigeons. Zhang Feng chatted with the old man for a while. When he finally left, Zhang Feng knew who he was. The former foreign minister of Italy also knew some of the history of Venice. He knew that there were three flags hanging at the entrance of each hotel, the European Union, Italy, and the last one was the flag of Venice.

I met another uncle who came to feed the pigeons every day. He also named each pigeon. This is the first time Zhang Feng saw someone training the pigeons. Let them go down, they go down, and let them come up.

Looking at these pigeons living in the square, according to the uncle, the pigeons have lived in St. Mark's Square for more than 1000 years, and they are considered aboriginals.

The St. Mark's Church was once the largest church in Europe in the Middle Ages. It was built in the 9th century AD and completed in 1094. After a fire, it gradually evolved into what Zhang Feng sees now after restoration.The Jiao=tang building follows the Byzantine style, in the shape of a Greek cross, covered with 5 hemispherical domes, and is a comprehensive art masterpiece integrating Byzantine, Gothic, Christian and Renaissance styles.

The gold-decorated mosaics on the facade are vividly painted, depicting the death of St. Mark and how his remains were removed.Two Venetian merchants stole St. Mark's body out of Alexandria, mixing it with barrels of salt pork and other goods.

Through the tour guide of the group, Zhang Feng learned that St. Mark's body was still kept under the altar of St. Mark's Archdiocese.

The interior is resplendent and magnificent, with exquisite murals and countless art treasures.

The murals on the dome depict many stories from the Ascension, and their themes include the preaching of the Twelve Apostles, the suffering of Christ, the portraits of Christ and prophets, and saints, etc. The surface is covered with gold leaf, so St. Mark's Church is also called the Golden Dajiao = Church.

In fact, it is not allowed to take pictures inside San Marco, but Zhang Feng assured that the cliff was the first to raise the camera, and he was also spoiled by all kinds of crooked nuts, so he left many photos in the camera.

From Jiao=tang, climb up to the highest bell tower of San Marco in the city, overlooking from the top, you can enjoy the beautiful panorama of the city of Venice.

The red city is surrounded by the boundless ocean, and the small islands are scattered in the distance. The whole Venice is clear at a glance, and I have to marvel at this unique city in the world.

Zhang Feng even saw the takeoff and landing of planes in the distance.

The five large domes of the nearby St. Mark's Church came into Zhang Feng's eyes. They are very clear and typical Byzantine architectural features.

On St. George Maggiore Island, the only building on the island is of course the St. George Maggiore Cross = Church, which is where Monet's priceless masterpiece "Saint George Maggiore - Early Morning" comes from.

The Church of Our Lady of Ankang in the distance was built in 1630 A.D. when Venice was black=death=sick. It was saved from the disease, so it was named "Salute", which means "health and gratitude".

After walking a certain distance, Zhang Feng came to the Covered Bridge, which is the Bridge of Sighs. After the criminals are tried in the Governor's Mansion, felons will be taken to the dungeon through this bridge, and they will lose their freedom from then on.Therefore, when the prisoner passed the bridge, he could only see the blue sky outside through two small windows and sighed involuntarily. Hence the name "Bridge of Sighs".

Looking out from the Bridge of Sighs is a line of sky. Zhang Feng waited for a long time before taking a photo that he was satisfied with. When a gondola passed by, it clicked!
There is such a story about the Bridge of Sighs: a man who was betrayed to death was sent to prison to wait for the final execution. When he passed the Bridge of Sighs, he looked out from the bridge hole. The woman on the boat turned out to be his lover. The man was so annoyed that he slammed into the flower window crazily. The result of the egg hitting the stone must have been bloody. The woman couldn't hear it either.Life used to be so beautiful, not only did a sigh rise in my heart.Heaven and hell are separated by such a short bridge.

Now that the tragic story is long gone, the legend about the Bridge of Sighs has been given a new chapter.It is said that if couples take a gondola and kiss under the bridge, their love will last forever, so every year, countless lovers come here to kiss in front of the bridge for a lifetime love fairy tale.

But could this be a trick for gondola boatmen to make money?Zhang Feng's thought of this was just a fleeting thought, because there is only a gondola under the bridge.

Most of the rooms in the Governor's Palace are empty without any furnishings. What is worth seeing are the wall-to-wall murals and ceiling paintings.

When it comes to painting, the Venetian School definitely occupies a place in the history of Western art.When the fire of the Renaissance in Florence was fading, it was Venice who took over the torch and continued to move forward. The more secular human body and colors she advocated have hidden a resource-rich foundation for the establishment of Neoclassicism and Impressionism in the history of Western painting in later generations. undercurrent.

The most famous works in the Doge's Palace are the works of Tintoretto and Veronese.

Tintoretto's giant mural "The Kingdom of Heaven" is 22 meters long and 7 meters wide. A complete work of this scale is one of the best in the world. It is located on the east wall of the Grand Conference Hall of the Governor's Palace.Standing in front of "Heaven = Kingdom" and looking up, you can see Veronese's most outstanding ceiling painting "The Triumph of Venice".

(End of this chapter)