Rensselaer Republican, Volume 17, Number 26, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 5 March 1885 — fie Streets of Venice. [ARTICLE]

fie Streets of Venice.

The st-eets and sidewalks of Venice are decidedly uniqne, both in material and construction. The city is bnilt entirely upon piles, and occupies eighty-two small islands in the lagoon of Venice. One hundred and fifty canals serve as streets for the city, these being crossed by nearly 460 bridges. The Canalazo, or Grand Canal, has a varying breadthjof 1 from 100 to 180 feet, at d divides the citv, by a devious line, into two nearly equal parts. Both sides of this canal are lined with buildings, many of them marble palaces of great magnificence, and so dose to the water’s edge as to be e tered from the gondolas or watercoaches plying in all directions. This canal is spanned by three bridges, two iron structures erected in 1854 and 1858, and the Rialto bridge, built of white marble in 1588-91. The canals' branching off from the Canalazo, and from each other, are much narrower and shorter. The numerous bridges over them are very steep in the center to afford passage for the gondolas beneath them, and render a land circuit of Venice a most fatiguing t »sk. Most of the houses, in addition to their main entrance by water, have another communi ating with a narrow alley or court on the land. These passageways are so narrow and intricate as to render the city a va4 labyrinth, most of them being not more than four feet in width. Thera are two exceptions to these. The first is the street called the Merceria, situated near the center of the city, lined with handsome shops, and so wide that two carriages might pass in it if their drivers were very careful. The other is the Piazza of St. Mark, on the south side of the city, at the entrance of the Grand Canal, a square containing some of the finest public buildings of the city, and lined bv arcades with handsome shops and cases. At right angles to this is the Piazzefta, which runs down to the sea. Many streets are lined with narrow quays, having stairways down to the gondola landings. The city has railway communication with a junction on the mainland by means of a viaduct two miles long, with over 200 arches. The city of Venice is very beautiful, and from a distance presents a very picturesque appearance, the houses all seeming to be afloat upon the water. A company has been formed to substitute steamers for the gondolas of Venice: This will rob the city of a great element of attractiveness as well as poetic association, but will no doubt prove of great. commercial advantage. —lnter Ocean.