Walking from the Ponte delle Veste to the next bridge, Ponte delle Ostreghe, I took a photo of the church of San Moise at the far end of the Calle Larga XXII Marzo. After the relatively austere facade of the La Fenice theatre this seemed ostentatious and overwrought, to say the least. But it also fitted in with the scenery, a huge structure keeping watch over the busy streets and canals surrounding it.
The Ponte delle Ostreghe got its name from the oysters ('ostreghe' in Venetian) delivered by fishing boats here in days gone by. Look at the bridge photo - it is filled with a patchwork of the vibrancy of life that surrounds the bridges in Venice. There is an old lady - obviously Venetian - crossing the bridge (how many times has she done that in her lifetime, I wonder?); there's a Carabinieri policeman on top of the bridge keeping a watchful eye on the surroundings; there's the ubiquitous tourist taking photos next to him; a clothing shop is displaying its wares in the window; and just visible to the left a gondola is getting ready to pass under the bridge.
Note the rather oddly placed white stones in the building wall to the right. These are often seen in newer buildings, and are Istrian stone taken from a previous building that stood here perhaps hundreds of years ago, and that are used when constructing this newer one in its place. Sometimes these stones have ornate artwork reminiscent of past decorating fashions. There is a sign attached to the lower part of the bridge railing imploring the tourist hordes please not to sit on the steps and cause traffic blockages. It's clearly not an official sign, perhaps it was erected by a frustrated local resident or shop-owner. La vie de Venise, as the French would say.
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