Venice, A Silent City
As the world appears to spiral into an unfathomable chaos & confusion, I felt compelled to share a glimpse of this silent city, one that ordinarily buzzes with life. What now feels like three very long weeks ago, I was wandering the quiet streets of Venice without too much of a care in the world. The seriousness of the COVID-19 pandemic had admittedly not yet sunken in & I selfishly raptured in scenes that would typically be overrun with tourists.
On arrival in Venice from Istanbul, healthcare personnel suited from head to toe in hazmat gear were waiting to greet me & the handful of others who were equally oblivious to the worsening crisis as we disembarked from the plane. As we stood silently in line & waited for our temperature to be checked, I momentarily felt a little alarmed. “They’re just being precautious,” I told myself as I made my way to collect my luggage. Soon after I arrived I met my parents who had flown in from England a couple of hours prior. We hugged, laughed, chatted excitedly, & even joked that I’d considered coming out of the arrivals gate sporting a face mask. Any concern I’d had while waiting to be inspected quickly dissipated & by the time we were boarding our private water taxi bound for the floating city, I was immeasurably excited for what was to come.
While speeding towards Venice, my Mum shared that the city’s Carnival celebrations had been cancelled. With an almighty, “nooooo!” I sunk down into my seat. I couldn’t believe it! I’d honestly been completely unaware of any cancellations having been in Istanbul for 36 hours (the sacrifice for scoring a cheap flight from the US I might add) & while I desperately wanted to understand why, part of me ignorantly believed that the Italians were overreacting. “Ah well,” I sighed, “perhaps they’ll still be people dressed up.”
It first occurred to me that the city was unusually quiet shortly after I’d checked into my hotel. It seemed a little odd that there was no one else around as the kind front desk associate showed me the St Regis’ facilities & then escorted me to my room, but I never thought anything of it. After a celebratory drink together in the bar, my parents & I headed out for a wander, immediately drawn to Venice’s hotspot; the Piazza San Marco. It was then that I realized things were not normal.
Having visited Venice once before in January, I knew Italy’s jewel on the lagoon was never really slow, even during off season. That afternoon, however, St Mark’s Square was unquestionably beginning to show signs of what was to come. Delighted at the scarcity of the crowds, I set out camera in hand with a broad smile on my face. What a treat to experience this architectural magnificent site with so few tourists! The cherry on top of this extraordinary situation was discovering people milling around in Carnival attire. I was ecstatic to say the least! Firing the shutter without a second thought, I found myself exuberantly grateful that the show was to go on; I’d longed to see Italians wearing costumes & carnival masks. What I hadn’t expected, however, was to find people wearing a different type of mask.
Despite having traveled from the United States three days prior, I hadn’t yet seen many people wearing surgical masks. Venice changed that rather quickly. On every pharmacy door there were handwritten notes scribbled in a panicked hurry, multiple languages reading; “no masks, all sold.” Staff inside some of the city’s most elite stores wore jet black face coverings while frequent passers-by quietly went about their business in façade. It was all rather strange, yet almost comically ironic & I struggled to suppress a giggle when we walked by a popular store whose advertising campaign for Carnival season read, “beyond the mask.”
Later that evening we walked approximately 20 minutes to a restaurant I had sought out for dinner. We enjoyed an aperitif before our reservation at a small bacaro hidden down a narrow passage, where besides us & the friendly owner, there were just four other locals who chatted jovially outside in the alleyway, spritz & negronis in hand. Dinner was sublime & heavily fueled with liquid libations & by the time we were requesting the check, we were filled with much merriment at the prospect of being together in such a special place. All fear of the coronavirus was gone & we’d almost forgotten the peculiar situation we were in. That was until we left the restaurant & returned to our hotel via the main lagoon waterfront, passing the Bridge of Sighs, the Doge’s Palace, & Saint Mark’s Basilica. The city was eerily still. I counted on one hand that evening the number of people we passed on our way back to base & in doing so, I began to understand the severity of the situation. Venice was silent.
Our days passed enjoying the city’s glorious sites despite the reserved quiet. Although we could sense a feeling of concern among Venice’s people, many were honest in sharing that their real worry wasn’t the virus itself but how it was going to impact their business. Empty gondolas drifted along quiet canals, desolate outdoor tables remained unoccupied despite the Spring-like weather, & ordinarily busy waterways slowed to a never before seen pace. The city was somber, but with it came a beauty I can’t even begin to explain.
With each day we began to appreciate just how lucky we were as what seemed to be a surreal dream quickly unraveled into a heartbreaking reality. Everyone we conversed with was scared. Despite the impending fear, however, they were warm, sincere, & overwhelmingly gracious. On my last afternoon, an older couple sat at the table next to me while I enjoyed a solitary beverage on the patio. They were in deep discussion with several hotel staff regarding how they were going to get home. Suddenly the seriousness of it all imploded on me. My phone buzzed incessantly that day until I finally switched it to flight mode on departure; a combination of updates from my parents who had left first thing that morning & friends concerned of my whereabouts.
On the flight home I felt numb. Part of me was filled with such wonder & happiness having spent five magical days with my parents experiencing Venice like never before, yet equally, my heart ached for the locals we’d interacted with. Little did I know then the horror that would continue to unfold in the days following my return. On Saturday evening I arrived back in the United States after spending twelve hours at the airport in Istanbul & eleven on a plane. Driving home with my husband I excitedly shared stories of what we had experienced, expressing how incredible it was to have wandered the streets of Venice alone. With each tale, however, there was a twinge of guilt at having had such a memorable time when serious trouble was beginning to brew. I went to bed that evening with my heart full of gratitude & a barely distinguishable disturbance buried deep at the back of my mind.
Today, that flicker of disturbance is a rampaging worry & there is a very different story to tell. Italy’s entire population is in quarantine & the death toll as a result of COVID-19 continues to rise. It’s a horrifying truth that’s still extremely difficult to grasp & despite the romantically poignant scenes of singing & camaraderie coming from Italian cities, towns, & villages on lockdown, my heart breaks for this place & its people. I’ll forever remember this visit with mixed emotions. If I’m entirely honest, it was perhaps one of the most wonderful vacations I’ve ever taken & I selfishly relished every opportunity to make such special memories with my parents. I’ll close on reminding us all that beneath the pain & the suffering, however, there is still beauty. Despite my assorted feelings, the allure & charm of Venice prevails. I sincerely hope that this story & the photographs I captured convey that.