{"id":1259,"date":"2023-09-12T15:41:51","date_gmt":"2023-09-12T14:41:51","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/walks.friday.ie\/?p=1259"},"modified":"2024-10-11T16:58:01","modified_gmt":"2024-10-11T15:58:01","slug":"venice-italy-facts-behind-winged-lion-gondola-street-names","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.walksofitaly.com\/blog\/art-culture\/venice-italy-facts-behind-winged-lion-gondola-street-names","title":{"rendered":"Symbols of Venice: Decoding The Floating City"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>On the surface Venice is beautiful. But, thanks to the fact that <a href=\"https:\/\/www.walksofitaly.com\/blog\/art-culture\/black-death-venice\">the city is <em>filled\u00a0<\/em>with signs and symbols<\/a>, there&#8217;s way more to it than meets the eye. From gondolas to flags, almost everything in Venice has a hidden story to tell. Here are three of our favorite <strong>Venetian symbols<\/strong> that you can find scattered across the city.<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_17589\" style=\"width: 1034px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-17589\" class=\"wp-image-17589 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/www.walksofitaly.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/Walks-20170810-Legendary-Venice-2x3-0013.jpg\" alt=\"St Mark's Square with basillica in the distance in Venice\" width=\"1024\" height=\"683\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-17589\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Venice is filled with hidden signs and symbols.<\/p><\/div>\n<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_80 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-grey ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<div class=\"ez-toc-title-container\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\" style=\"cursor:inherit\">Table of Contents<\/p>\n<span class=\"ez-toc-title-toggle\"><a href=\"#\" class=\"ez-toc-pull-right ez-toc-btn ez-toc-btn-xs ez-toc-btn-default ez-toc-toggle\" aria-label=\"Toggle Table of Content\"><span class=\"ez-toc-js-icon-con\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/a><\/span><\/div>\n<nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/www.walksofitaly.com\/blog\/art-culture\/venice-italy-facts-behind-winged-lion-gondola-street-names\/#Hidden_symbols_of_Venice\" >Hidden symbols of Venice<\/a><ul class='ez-toc-list-level-3' ><li class='ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/www.walksofitaly.com\/blog\/art-culture\/venice-italy-facts-behind-winged-lion-gondola-street-names\/#The_meaning_behind_the_gondola\" >The meaning behind the gondola<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/www.walksofitaly.com\/blog\/art-culture\/venice-italy-facts-behind-winged-lion-gondola-street-names\/#The_hidden_meanings_behind_Venetian_street_names\" >The hidden meanings behind Venetian street names<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-4\" href=\"https:\/\/www.walksofitaly.com\/blog\/art-culture\/venice-italy-facts-behind-winged-lion-gondola-street-names\/#The_winged_lion_The_most_famous_Venetian_symbol_of_all\" >The winged lion: The most famous Venetian symbol of all<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Hidden_symbols_of_Venice\"><\/span>Hidden symbols of Venice<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"The_meaning_behind_the_gondola\"><\/span>The meaning behind the gondola<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\">It&#8217;s a truism to say that <a title=\"The Real Reason the Gondola is a Symbol of Venice\u2026 and How to Take One\" href=\"http:\/\/walksofitaly.com\/blog\/travel-tips\/venice-gondola-tradition-tips-advice-italy\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">the Venetian gondola is a symbol of Venice<\/a>. But there&#8217;s way more to it, because the gondola itself is loaded with symbols and meanings, too!<\/p>\n<p>First of all, there&#8217;s the <strong>size of the gondola.<\/strong> Every one is exactly 35&#8242; 6&#8243; long and 4&#8242; 6&#8243; wide, but each has one side 10 inches longer than the other. The reason is simple physics: The longer side balances off the weight of the gondolier.<\/p>\n<p>As well as being uniform in length and width,<strong> all gondolas are black<\/strong>. The reason? By the 16th-century, there were <em>so <\/em>many gondolas in Venice, each of different colors, that the canals were starting to look chaotic&#8230; so the <a href=\"https:\/\/lifeinitaly.com\/gondolas-venice-in-black\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">city passed a law saying they all had to be black<\/a>!<\/p>\n<p>The mere shape and color of a gondola is a clue to how important these boats were to Venice, if even laws were passed to control them. But there&#8217;s even more to the gondola than that; symbols are hidden in its very design.<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_13610\" style=\"width: 1210px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-13610\" class=\"wp-image-13610\" src=\"https:\/\/www.walksofitaly.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/Walks-20190711-Legendary-Venice-16x9-0012-e1573644633284.jpg\" alt=\"Bridge of Sighs in Venice\" width=\"1200\" height=\"771\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.walksofitaly.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/Walks-20190711-Legendary-Venice-16x9-0012-e1573644633284.jpg 1388w, https:\/\/www.walksofitaly.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/Walks-20190711-Legendary-Venice-16x9-0012-e1573644633284-768x494.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-13610\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Did you know that the S-curve in a gondola is supposed to mimic the curve of the city&#8217;s Grand Canal?<\/p><\/div>\n<p>Just take a look at the prow, or\u00a0<em>ferro,\u00a0<\/em>of a gondola.\u00a0See that metal decoration on the front? It&#8217;s not random. In fact, the metal band running down the front has\u00a0an &#8220;S&#8221;-shaped curve to it, echoing the shape of the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.walksofitaly.com\/blog\/attractions\/what-to-see-along-the-grand-canal-venice\">Grand Canal as it cuts through the island of Venice<\/a>. The <strong>six prongs sticking out the front represent <a href=\"https:\/\/www.takewalks.com\/blog\/where-to-stay-in-venice\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Venice&#8217;s six <em>sestieri, <\/em>or districts<\/a><\/strong> &#8211; and the prong that&#8217;s facing backwards symbolizes Giudecca, an island just south of the main Venetian island that&#8217;s always been part of Venice.<\/p>\n<p>Meanwhile, the flourish on the top of the six prongs echoes the Doge&#8217;s cap. And the little arch that&#8217;s made between the flourish and the top of the six prongs? That&#8217;s the Rialto Bridge &#8211; another symbol of Venice hidden in plain sight!<\/p>\n<p>Cute, huh?<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"The_hidden_meanings_behind_Venetian_street_names\"><\/span>The hidden meanings behind Venetian street names<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>In lots of Italian towns, street names begin simply with &#8220;Via,&#8221; like <a href=\"https:\/\/wwd.com\/eye\/lifestyle\/la-dolce-vita-is-back-how-romes-via-veneto-is-regaining-its-allure-1235174651\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Rome&#8217;s famous Via Veneto<\/a>. In Venice, it&#8217;s a little more complicated.<\/p>\n<p>Why? Partly because\u00a0<strong>Venice<em> used<\/em> to have even more canals than it does today<\/strong>. After the train station was built in the 19th century and visitors started coming without their own boats, the city decided to fill in canals and pave them as streets to create more access. And today? You can &#8220;read&#8221; that history through the <strong>hodgepodge of words Venetians use to refer to their streets.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>First, in Venice, the word &#8220;calle&#8221; is used instead of &#8220;via&#8221;. Pronounced with the &#8220;l&#8221; (not as it would be in Spanish, making the &#8220;ll&#8221; a &#8220;y&#8221;), a <em>calle <\/em>is a street that runs between two sets of buildings.<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_16958\" style=\"width: 1034px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-16958\" class=\"wp-image-16958 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/www.walksofitaly.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/Walks_Venice_AD_120623_IMG_0261.jpg\" alt=\"Grand Canal, Venice\" width=\"1024\" height=\"682\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-16958\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">In the past, streets didn&#8217;t exist in Venice &#8211; homes only had water entrances instead.<\/p><\/div>\n<p>But many streets <em>aren&#8217;t <\/em>called a <em>calle. <\/em>Another one to look out for: &#8220;salizada.&#8221; <strong><em>Salizada <\/em>means &#8220;paved,&#8221; and these streets are those that used to be the most important in Venice<\/strong> &#8211; so, when Venice&#8217;s few streets were paved in brick, <em>these <\/em>streets were the first to be paved with the more expensive, gray paving stones that you now see almost everywhere.<\/p>\n<p>Then there is <em>ramo. <\/em>If you see a sign saying &#8220;Ramo &#8212;-,&#8221; then beware: <strong>a <em>ramo <\/em>was built as a blind alleyway<\/strong>, solely to allow access to homes whose main entrance used to be a canal.<\/p>\n<p>So you&#8217;ve got <em>calle, salizada, <\/em>and <em>ramo. <\/em>On top of it, there&#8217;s <em>ruga. <\/em><strong>&#8220;Ruga,&#8221; which literally means &#8220;wrinkle,&#8221; refers to those streets that were some of the longest<\/strong> in Venice. Ruga Rialto might be the best-known.<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_20395\" style=\"width: 1210px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-20395\" class=\"wp-image-20395\" src=\"https:\/\/www.walksofitaly.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/08\/Walks-20190920-Venice-Welcome-to-Venice-0352_Web-Res.jpg\" alt=\"Walks Tour guide explains the meaning of a hidden symbol in Venice during the cooler winter months\" width=\"1200\" height=\"801\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.walksofitaly.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/08\/Walks-20190920-Venice-Welcome-to-Venice-0352_Web-Res.jpg 1280w, https:\/\/www.walksofitaly.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/08\/Walks-20190920-Venice-Welcome-to-Venice-0352_Web-Res-768x512.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-20395\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">A local guide can provide insights into the mysterious symbols scattered across Venice.<\/p><\/div>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"The_winged_lion_The_most_famous_Venetian_symbol_of_all\"><\/span>The winged lion: The most famous Venetian symbol of all<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span class=\"Apple-style-span\" style=\"font-weight: normal;\">Another symbol that you simply can&#8217;t get away from in Venice is the winged lion. On palaces, statues, and the city&#8217;s flags, that lion is just <em>everywhere. <\/em>But here&#8217;s the big question: <strong>Why a lion for the maritime republic, and not a fish or seagull?<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<p>The reason goes back to the ninth century, when <a href=\"https:\/\/fitzmuseum.cam.ac.uk\/explore-our-collection\/highlights\/context\/stories-and-histories\/the-relics-of-st-mark\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Venetian merchants stole the body of St. Mark<\/a> the Apostle from his tomb in Alexandria, Egypt. When a storm almost drowned the graverobbers and their precious cargo,<strong> it&#8217;s said that St. Mark himself appeared to the captain<\/strong> and told him to lower the sails. The ship was saved, and the merchants said they owed their safety to the miracle.<\/p>\n<p>Once they got to Venice and told the story, it didn&#8217;t take long for the city to vote him their patron saint. (It helped that another tradition held that St. Mark had himself once stopped on the Venetian coast to avoid a storm &#8211; and that an angel then appeared to him, saying the locals would one day venerate him).<\/p>\n<p>What&#8217;s usually <strong>used to represent St. Mark in Christian iconography<\/strong>? A winged lion.<\/p>\n<p>So keep your eyes open while you&#8217;re in Venice. Even the smallest details of what you see have a story to tell.<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_20394\" style=\"width: 1290px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-20394\" class=\"wp-image-20394 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/www.walksofitaly.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/08\/18110017938_7bcb83712a_k.jpg\" alt=\"Venetian winged lion, a symbol of Venice, in gold on a building's facade\" width=\"1280\" height=\"856\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.walksofitaly.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/08\/18110017938_7bcb83712a_k.jpg 1280w, https:\/\/www.walksofitaly.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/08\/18110017938_7bcb83712a_k-768x514.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1280px) 100vw, 1280px\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-20394\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Once you know it&#8217;s there, you&#8217;ll soon start to notice the winged lion everywhere in Venice. Photo credit: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.flickr.com\/photos\/v923z\/18110017938\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Zolt\u00e1n V\u00f6r\u00f6s<\/a><\/p><\/div>\n<p><em>Update notice: This article was updated on October 11, 2024.<\/em><\/p>\n<p><strong>Curious to learn more secrets about the history of Venice? Join\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.walksofitaly.com\/venice-tours\/\">us on a tour of the Floating City<\/a>, where an expert guide will help you navigate Venice\u2019s untold sights and stories.<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>On the surface Venice is beautiful. But, thanks to the fact that the city is filled\u00a0with signs and symbols, there&#8217;s way more to it than meets the eye. From gondolas to flags, almost everything in Venice has a hidden story to tell. Here are three of our favorite Venetian symbols that you can find scattered [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":81,"featured_media":17747,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[101,136],"ppma_author":[190],"class_list":["post-1259","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-art-culture","tag-culture","tag-venice"],"authors":[{"term_id":190,"user_id":81,"is_guest":0,"slug":"elenal","display_name":"Elena L.","avatar_url":{"url":"https:\/\/www.walksofitaly.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/Elena-Lombardi.png","url2x":"https:\/\/www.walksofitaly.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/Elena-Lombardi.png"},"user_url":"","last_name":"L.","first_name":"Elena","job_title":"","description":"Elena has a deep-rooted love for her native Venice. Having previously worked as an Italian teacher abroad, Elena returned home and still teaches in addition to being a travel writer. Elena loves sharing the beauty of her native language and culture by teaching, and also through her writing. She loves to assist others in discovering the charm and uniqueness of Venice\u2014a city she considers to be one of the most beautiful, must-see places in the world."}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.walksofitaly.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1259"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.walksofitaly.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.walksofitaly.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.walksofitaly.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/81"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.walksofitaly.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1259"}],"version-history":[{"count":10,"href":"https:\/\/www.walksofitaly.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1259\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":21841,"href":"https:\/\/www.walksofitaly.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1259\/revisions\/21841"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.walksofitaly.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/17747"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.walksofitaly.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1259"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.walksofitaly.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1259"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.walksofitaly.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1259"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.walksofitaly.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/ppma_author?post=1259"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}