This evening I went on a ghost walk. I've never been on a guided tour before and normally would think they are a waste of money, teaching you nothing you can't learn from a guidebook and generally making you feel like a bit of an idiot. This one promised to show us th darker side of Venice, all the ghosts and ghastly things that went on, so much more up my street.
We met in St Marks Square and waited patiently for the off. I’m guessing the guide had toned it down a bit as there were some youngish children on the tour, and he kept stumbling over his words, trying not to say things like ‘sex’. I gave him the benefit of the doubt for a bit, but was expecting a good return on my investment. He took us round a few sites, explaining how the public hangings took place between the two tall columns on St Marks Square that face the lagoon and that extra naughty people were hung in cages from the tower so that they could be poked with sticks.
We were recounted a few ghost stories about lovers, mainly ones where the man had decided to kill his wife, felt guilty about it afterwards and then horrible things happened. Or that two people were forbidden to marry, at least one of them was killed, and then haunted various areas or buildings… you know the sort of thing. One particular incident was linked to this curly tower called the Bovolo, in the Palazzo of which a jealous father lived, and wasn’t happy with his daughter going out with a local carpenter. Apparently he said “If you’re going to marry a carpenter then it will be Jesus Christ” and sent her off to be a nun. She then killed herself, or was killed by him, I forget, and proceeded to haunt the place, but in a nice way because she didn’t hold a grudge.
We were also shown a building near the Ponte Dei Bareteri (the main route from St Marks to Rialto) where there was a secret spy-hole to see who was at the door. If it was a lady caller the male of the household had a secret passage, ending in a door under the bridge in the canal, through which to evacuate his chosen prostitute for the evening.
I went on the tour hoping to get really spooked, but I soon realised this wasn’t going to happen. It’s still nice to walk around Venice at night and be told interesting little stories about the places you come across. I learnt that the reason there has been so much change in the water level of the canals from the morning to the evening over the last few days is because it’s approaching the equinox and this is the time when the biggest tidal changes occur. I’ve been noticing this but didn’t know why it was suddenly happening. I took the picture below when the water level was so low earlier I could see the bottom of the canal, it was about a foot deep. I’m hoping to see aqua alta during my stay here, they have already got the board walks out ready.
Anyway, back to the tour. We made our way past the Fenice opera house, which has burnt down 3 times. According to our guide this is because it is built on the graveyard of the opposite church and the dead were getting their own back for people having fun on their graves. Alternatively it could have been an insurance job.
My favourite (or I should say least favourite) story of the night centred around the Riva di Piazzio (or at least that’s what I thought it said but now can’t find it on my map), where a man worked on a building site. He lived too far away to go home for lunch so frequented a small Taverna on the opposite side of the Grand Canal to the main casino. This Taverna was well liked in the area and was regarded as the best place to get a beef stew. It was hearty, cheap and delicious. One day, whilst tucking in to his favourite dish the man chomped on something hard. On closer inspection it wasn’t a bone or piece of gristle but a fleshy small human finger, complete with fingernail. He decided not to make a scene, but wrap the finger in his handkerchief, pay for his meal and leave. He headed straight for the police, or whoever was in charge in those days, and the place was instantly swarming with officials. In the kitchen of the restaurant they found the remains of countless children, all butchered ready for the pot. Because of the recent plague there were hundreds of orphans roaming the streets who wouldn’t be missed if someone chopped them up and ate them.
They cut off the restaurateur’s arms, nailed them to his chest and then beheaded him in St Marks square. That’s the sort of thing I was after, a bit of gore!
Wandering around the streets of Venice you can just imagine all this happening, there must have been allsorts going on here in its heyday. I’ve also learnt that for every tale there is an alternative version and that Venetian history is notoriously difficult to pin down. For example, they have many different explanations for the six prongs on the front of a Gondola…some say it is representative of a Roman galleon, others a judicial axe and others the key symbol of Egyptian funerary boats. The Gondoliers believe they represent the six districts of Venice, but can’t agree what the small trumpet-like blade on top represents or the prong that points backwards.
So I’m not saying that the tour guides sit in their offices, coming up with elaborate stories to encourage visitors to part with their money, but I did take everything I was told with a pinch of salt and know that the stories they recount to you completely depend on the versions their grandmothers told them.
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