The Traveler’s Dilemma ― London? Paris? Venice?

Thinking about going to London or maybe Paris for a vacation? Think again. Once you’ve read Judith Martin’s book, “No Vulgar Hotel, The desire and pursuit of Venice,” you will choose Venice as your destination. Be careful, however. You will be putting yourself in danger of contracting Venetophilia.

The list of those infected include: Lord Bryan, Robert Browning, Igor Stravinsky, Ezra Pound, Ernest Hemingway, Dr. Seuss, Woody Allen and Elton John. Along with the author, who tells us how to manage the state of being a Venetophile, all those luminaries and more came down with serious cases of this delightful condition.

To discover the appeal, follow the author’s advice of staying away from dreadful and vulgar hotels. Instead, rent some wholly independent fine old rooms. It might be part of a palace--historic and picturesque--where you can be alone, with a cook and with servants, murals, pictures, tapestries, antiquities. Avoiding the vulgar hotel is a requirement for lapping up and relishing Venice.

A “miracle-from-the-swamp”, refugees from the mainland pulled it up and out of the mud and reeds. The city has been a magnet which, since the Middle Ages, has attracted and dazzled visitors from around the world.

To discover Venice, one must learn a smattering of its history, not the least of which is to hate Napoleon, a man history buffs tend to admire for his nerve and dash. To Venetophiles and Venetians, Napoleon’s hideous crimes are perpetuity fresh. He visited only nine days but had the colossal nerve to steal, as war loot, the very treasures the Venetians had stolen from Constantinople. His thievery smeared Venice’s international reputation as they have never been able to smear his.

Historical and literary allusions of Venice abound. “All of Venice is like a stage set, or for the musically inclined, an opera set; Venetians are the actors; There are actually two Venices, one of stone and the one formed by its reflection in the water; Venice is famous for its masks, which remind us that we all wear masks, and who is to say, whether the masks grow to reflect us or we grow to become like our masks?”

There are the irritating questions asked by outsiders that are difficult to avoid. Admitting to being a Venetophile inevitably brings them on. The answers are “Well, yes, Venice is full of other tourists and it has no secrets left, if it ever had them,” and “No, it’s not unbearable.”

The most crowded places are the piazza, the Rialto bridge area, and the shopping street, Merceria, that connects them. As in New York City, there are plenty of less-crowded squares, museums, shops, and people tend to favor their particular neighborhoods where the pace is slower and faces are familiar. At the Rialto, the souvenir stands are crowded, and in the piazza, there may be lines to get into the Doge’s Palace, but not to get into the Correr Museum, with its exceptional collection of artifacts from Venetian history.

A frequent question asked by the uninitiated is, “Isn’t Venice sinking?” A Venetophile will snap back the answer: “No, Venice isn’t sinking. The water is rising.” The worrisome problem not to be admitted. Besides, it is always being worked on.

And, finally, we must talk about the gondola(s), the romance of Venice. They “glide effortlessly through a narrow, watery maze, propelled by the grace and [skillfulness] of your gondolier, ancient buildings floating by on either side; you slide beneath bridges that you can reach up and touch; you become acquainted with a sizeable population of ancient stone faces who are unknown to the pedestrians passing above.”

Venice is a ravishing beauty. The entire city serves as a museum. At night, when the air is filled with music, the sky full of stars, and the lights flash and shimmer on the polished steel prows of the swaying gondolas…and then the food ― do you like shellfish? Judith Martin’s Venice is worthy of coming down with a case of Venetophilia.
Do you still want to go to London or Paris? After you’ve read “No Vulgar Hotel”, browse the Columbus Library’s travel books. They will help you make a decision.

Recent donations to the Library Foundation include those from Lucille and Burns Ellison and Corinne Korte in memory of Pat Trofholz. The memory of Stephen C. Fremarek was honored by a donation from Mr. and Ms. Richard Luebbe. Christopher Saalfeld was honored by memorials from Mr. and Mrs. Mathew Fleischer and Mr. and Mrs. Arden Saalfeld.