January 27, 1959
VENICE: From a commentary by Linos Politis: «There is no doubt that the season to visit Venice is the summertime, when the gondolas move about more freely and thousands of visitors from all over the world gaze at the Ducal Palace and St Mark’s Basilica or photograph each other among the famous pigeons. But Venice also has its own charm in winter. Tourism is all very well (as the Italians know better than we do) but too many bright shirts and bearded youths are an annoying sight whether you are in Venice or Athens. The clouds and humidity are more suited to the atmosphere of the old city, where the seawater caresses the Gothic facades of palaces and highlights their red color. If the visitor is deprived of the Lido beach or the festival on the Grand Canal, the doors of the art galleries and museums are still open to display their Bellinis, Giorgiones, Titians and Tintorettos. For us Greeks, a visit to Venice is a reminder of the centuries when the city ruled over Greek territory in the Aegean and Ionian Seas. Truly, Constantinople and Venice were the two most important centers of Hellenism during the entire period of Turkish rule in Greece.»
