500th Anniversary of the Venetian Ghetto

2016, which will be over in a few days, is the 500th anniversary of the Jewish Ghetto in Venice. It was pouring when we arrived at Piazzale Roma by bus from the airport. While waiting for the apartment owner, I photographed the tram before it left the station. The People Mover was decorated with photos from the Ghetto.

Tourists on the Scalzi Bridge look down, while Renaissance Jews look up.

Venice Lagoon–Old and New

If you take the vaporetto to Burano, you will pass the abandoned island of Madonna del Monte (mountain? really?). It has been the site of a monasteries since the middle ages; Napoleon destroyed the last one. The building in the photo below was built in the 19th century, as a powder magazine. The island is eroding rapidly because the retaining wall has crumbled.

I’m not sure where I photographed these houses, but they were on the #12 vaporetto route from Torcello. Maybe Isola dei Laghi, but I haven’t been able to track them down on Google earth view.

San Michele in Isola, on the cemetery island (Cimitero di San Michele). I’ve never stopped there, but I hope to some day.

Southern wall of San Michele:

This strange-looking beast is the bridge for the Venice People Mover. The monorail train connects the historical center of Venice with the Marittima cruise terminal and Piazzale Roma, the point of entry for buses, trains, cars, and the Tronchetto parking island. Personally, I’ll stick with the vaporetti and my own two feet….