Years ago, I was introduced to Jan Morris’ books in a store in Trieste. Not only did I devour her book “Trieste and the Meaning of Nowhere” but also found an old copy of her travelogue “Venice” in the days to follow. It was almost as if the universe was making sure I read those books. When I heard the news of the Welsh writer passing away, I felt sad. What a loss to the writing community and the world! Morris’ writing was immensely rich and exceptional and I strongly recommend if you’re a travel lover and an Italophile. Here are 10 of the most extraordinary quotes from her book called “Venice”!
10 Extraordinary Quotes on Venice by Jan Morris
Venice depends for her longevity upon the long line of islands, artificially buttressed, which separate the lagoon from the Adriatic, and keep the sea storms away from her delicate fabrics.
The city crawls with lions, winged lions and ordinary lions, great lions and pretty lions, lions on doorways, lions supporting windows, lions on corbels, self-satisfied lions in gardens, lions rampant, lions soporific, amiable lions, ferocious lions….
Venice stands, as she loves to tell you, on the frontiers of east and west, half-way between the setting and the rising sun.
Venice is a gossipy provincial city, where your movements are eagerly observed and your visitors adroitly analysed.
Venice is a maze of alleys, secluded courtyards, bridges, archways, tortuous passages, dead ends, quaysides, dark overhung back streets and sudden sunlit squares.
Nobody will deny that tourism is part of the Venetian mystique. The Piazza is better, livelier, lovelier for its garish summer crowds.
The gondola is a vehicle of beautiful locomotion, the smaller craft of the canals move with a staccato daintiness, and often you see the upper-works of a liner in stately passage behind the chimneys.
To live in Venice is one of the supreme pleasures that this world can offer.
The Venetian way is the right way, and the Venetian nearly always know best.
To see the Serenissima without her make-up, try getting up at three in the morning one foggy February day, and watch the old lady reluctantly awakening.
Cover photo by Federico Beccari
Which one of these quotes resonated with you most??
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Further Reading:
Venice: Pure City by Peter Ackroyd
- Arrivederci Montalbano- thoughts on Riccardino
- Basilica di Superga with the moon- una meraviglia
- The view from Vomero Hill, Naples
- Circumvesuviana train- easy way to explore Gulf Of Naples
- Experience of Staying in Piazza Garibaldi, Naples
4 Comments
Kathryn Occhipinti
November 17, 2021 at 9:10 amI love the last quote about the “old lady waking up.” Cities are just like people: to really know them you must see them unadorned and then if they still seem beautiful to you, you will have found love.
Italophilia
November 17, 2021 at 8:02 pmThanks so much Kathryn for stoppping by. I love it too
KareninCalabria
December 20, 2020 at 2:47 pmVery nice. I think I like the lions quote the best. The repetition of the one idea but with so many different possibilities and realizations within the city made me think of all those doorways and windows, and then also on what the lion represents.
Italophilia
December 20, 2020 at 2:54 pmYes 100%. That lion quote was one of the longest and so I left it after a few lines. If you read it in the book, you’ll laugh and love it even more!