10 Reasons Why Venice’s Quirky Charm Keeps Me Coming Back
I think it’s the quirky charm of Venice that makes me love it so. It’s an old grand dame with stories to tell. I love to explore it and I love to sketch it. Here are ten of the totally unique things that I love about Venice.
1. Shrubbery That Evokes an Emotion
Inaugurated in 2011, Borges Labyrinth was created to mark the 25th anniversary of the death of the famous Argentine writer Jorge Luis Borges. The labyrinth is a tribute to the writer's famous short story, "The Garden of Forking Paths". This chest-high shrubbery is just over one kilometre long and spells the name Borges. It’s magnificent! A wonder! Wandering through its twisting paths is an experience. It plays with my mind. Halfway through I feel stuck. A little panicked. I tell myself to keep going. I feel a great sense of relief at the end. Now I want to draw it or paint it. I thoroughly enjoy my time there.
2. Almost 500 Years of Snitching
The Bocca di Leone, (lion's mouth) boxes were designed so that citizens could report suspected corruption or wrongdoing anonymously. They were actively used for 487 years, starting in 1310. This one can be found the Doge’s Palace. The inscription translates: “Secret denunciations against anyone who will conceal favors and services or will collude to hide the true revenue from them”. The system ended in 1797 when Napoleon Bonaparte conquered Venice. It’s incredible to think of the impact this practice would have had on the culture of this place for almost 500 years!
3. Not All is As it Appears
At a glance, this porphyry sculpture fixed to a corner of San Marco’s Basilica of four men embracing could represent harmony and brotherly love. In fact, its meaning is far more sinister. The Four Tetrarchs statues are meant to project the shared, raw, imperialistic power of the conquering Roman emperors Diocletian, Maximian, Galerius, and Constantius Chlorus who jointly ruled the Roman Empire between 284 and 311 CE. The statue stood in Constantinople, for almost 1,000 years until it was stolen by the Venetians when they sacked the city during the Fourth Crusade in the early 13th century. Next time I visit, I’m going to sketch it!
4. Interpretation of Art Changes Over Time
This grotesque carved face, known as the Mascherone, installed above the entrance of the Santa Maria Formosa church bell tower (1492) was intended to ward off evil spirits and the devil. The weathered sculpture is part of the building’s distinctive Gothic-inspired architecture. Four hundred years later, John Ruskin described it in The Stones of Venice as a "huge, inhuman, and monstrous" symbol of moral decay. It doesn’t strike me in this way. Looking at it today I think most people would think it is funny, quirky and odd.
5. Legend Says Merchants Turned to Stone
Near the Campo dei Mori can be found four stone statues representing three turban-wearing Mastelli brothers, wealthy silk and spice merchants from Morea (the Peloponnese in Greece) who arrived in Venice in the 1100s and their servant. The statue of Sior Antonio Rioba, the most famous figure, is set on a corner, and features a makeshift iron nose added in the 19th century. Local legend says the merchants were cursed and turned to stone for selling substandard materials. Others claim rubbing the iron nose of Rioba brings luck. Believe what you will. The legends make me want to sketch them all the more.
6. The Cat Bookstore
Located down a narrow winding alley, is the “cat” bookstore. Cats stretch over the piles of books, peer down at the customers from high shelves and dart between the aisles. But in fact the interesting thing about the Acqua Alta, which means “Book Store of High Water”, is that the store floods when the tide is high and so the books in its overstuffed rooms are displayed in waterproof bins and bathtubs and there’s even an actual gondola in the middle of the store heaped with books. Books on the bottom shelves are completely ruined and not for sale. Instead, tourists clamber to the top of the piles of ruined books for a picture.
7. Scala Contarini del Bovolo
Built in the 15th century, the Scala Contarini del Bovolo, a 90-foot high elegant spiraling staircase, combines elements of Gothic, Renaissance, and Byzantine styles. It’s almost completely hidden and difficult to find. Visitors can climb to the top of its 80 steps, from which there is a beautiful view over the rooftops of the city. “Del Bovolo” translates to “of the snail” referring to the spiral shape of the “scala” or staircase. The arches (and I know this from having sketched it twice) decrease in height getting smaller and shorter on each higher floor. This clever design tricks the eye into thinking the tower is lighter, more delicate, and much taller than it actually is.
8. The Bridge of Fistfights
The Ponte dei Pugni was the historic site of organized fistfights in the 1600s between the Castellani and the Nicolotti rival clans. Four white marble footprints that mark the starting point for fighters can still be seen on the bridge. The bridge served as a natural arena where the main objective was to punch opponents and throw them into the canal below. The fights were enormously popular spectacles (see the painting above) but the fistfight tradition eventually degraded into weapon use, drawing knives, daggers, and roof tiles. After an extremely bloody 1705 match that spun completely out of control, the Venetian government officially and permanently banned the bridge fights. I sit sketching to one side and include the bridge in my sketch remembering the crazy tradition. Only in Venice!
9. Cheapo Cicchetti
Cicchetti are small, savory Venetian snacks or side dishes, similar to Spanish tapas. Not always easy to find, they are sold in traditional bars called Bacari found in quiet backstreets. At just €2.50 each they are an extremely economical lunch often served with a glass of wine or Aperol spritz and much tastier than the overcooked pasta served in the tourist areas.
10. 5000+ Winged Lions
Spotting and sketching the winged lion statues scattered throughout the city is one of the challenges I enjoy most when visiting Venice. They are everywhere! More than 5,000! Why so many winged lions? According to Venetian tradition, in 828 AD, two Venetian merchants traveled to Alexandria (then under Muslim rule) and stole the body of St. Mark from its tomb. They smuggled it back to Venice concealed beneath layers of pork in their ship's cargo—a substance Muslim inspectors would avoid touching—thus ensuring safe passage. Saint Mark became the patron saint of Venice and his body has since resided beneath the high altar in St. Mark's Basilica. The winged lion, the symbol of Saint Mark, can be found everywhere—forged in bronze, or balancing atop a pillar, or carved in stone on the side of a building, or gilded and grinning from a high perch.
Join me and watercolour instructor, Sebastian Thommen, in quirky Venice this May 3-7, 2027 as we hunt the winged lion, explore twisting alleyways, get lost in labyrinths, taste the cheapo cicchetti, and paint our hearts out during our Venice Islands Watercolour Tour.
For more info click HERE.