TCDE-Team at 22:13, 12 May 2025

2025-05-12T22:13:56Z

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''Venice, Romanticism and Mysteries'' is an article written by [[Ivo Lombardo]] published in "[[Italy|Sir Arthur Conan Doyle : Viaggio in Italia / Italian Journey]]" edited by [[Gianluca Salvatori]], [[Enrico Solito]] & [[Roberto Vianello]], in 2012 (Bobi Bazlen Edizion).

== Venice, Romanticism and Mysteries ==
[[File:Salvatori-solito-vianello-2012-sir-arthur-conan-doyle-viaggio-in-italia.jpg|thumb|350px|right|''Sir Arthur Conan Doyle: Viaggio in Italia / Italian Journey'', by [[Gianluca Salvatori]], [[Enrico Solito]] & [[Roberto Vianello]] (2012)]]

''By [[Ivo Lombardo]].''

As part of the Uno Studio in Holmes (USIH) study of the Italian elements of Dr Sveum's [[Arthur Conan Doyle]] ([[ACD]]) photo albums, the pictures of Venice in those albums were examined closely. The photos show us beautiful vintage views of Venice, some of which have a similar atmosphere to the photos taken by the great Italian photographer, Tomaso Filippi (born in the same year as [[ACD]]), which are still snapped up by tourists today, and which are a unique source of reference for historic urban Venice at the end of the 19th century and the start of the 20th. In order to pay homage to the members of the Tuscan group of USIH we must say that Filippi was not from Venice, but from Florence!

But back to the photos of Venice. There are not many, but they are all worthy of attention. We begin with pictures of St Mark's Square, and there are no major differences to the current square, except for the absence of stalls selling grain for the pigeons and souvenirs for the tourists. I refer to the mass tourism of today since, in the time of [[ACD]], tourism of the lagoon city was considered to be only for the elite. The stunning success of the first Venice Film Festival, in 1932, held at the Lido under the patronage of Count Giuseppe Volpi of Misurata, saw the beginning of the development of mass tourism in Venice. However, it is pleasing to see a picture of Doyle literally overwhelmed by the pigeons in the Square and photos of Jean offering the pigeons food, still a popular pose among visitors today.

[[File:Sacd-viaggio-in-italia-1-08-01.jpg|thumb|500px|left|St Mark's Square]]
[[File:sacd-viaggio-in-italia-1-09-02.jpg|thumb|500px|right|St Mark's Square]]
[[File:sacd-viaggio-in-italia-1-08-02.jpg|thumb|500px|center|St Mark's Square]]
[[File:sacd-viaggio-in-italia-2-49.jpg|thumb|500px|center|St Mark's Square]]

It is worth noting, however, that in another picture, taken by [[ACD]] or Jean from the same position in the square St Mark, but in opposite direction, towards the Basilica, in the top right of the photogragh, there is the reconstruction site of the Campanile, called "el paron de casa" (the landlord) by the Venetians.

From the top of that tower one could have enjoyed a breath-taking view of the city and of most of the lagoon, but [[ACD]] could not have enjoyed this wonder in 1907, because the original bell tower had collapsed on the morning of 14th July 1902. It must be said that from the end of the 19th Century the campanile had shown some cracks, which were pointed out by various works committees, but no intervention was made to make any real improvements. There were no victims due of the collapse and neighbouring monuments were miraculously spared, except for the corner of the Sansovinian Library.

The Tower was rebuilt and, in spite of many technical difficulties and controversies, it was reopened on 25th April 1912, but it never regained its original structure. Indeed, of the five old bells, only the largest, La Marangona (the one that can still be admired today) survived. In addition, the location was moved by a few feet, so the current bell tower is detached from any other building (it was originally attached to the Sansovinian Library). Dr Sveum's second Doylean album contains an illustration obtained from a photo (already vintage at that stage) that shows the dismayed faces of the Venetians when the campanile had just collapsed. Unfortunately, we do not know whether it was purchased on the 1907 trip and then put into the second album instead of the first, or on some later visit.

Another photo shows the bridge inside the Hotel Danieli, the most renowned hotel in Venice.

{|
|-
|style="width:50%;"| [[File:sacd-viaggio-in-italia-1-09-01.jpg|thumb|350px|center|Hotel Danieli.]]
|style="width:50%;"| [[File:Sacd-viaggio-in-italia-1-ponte-Danieli-attuale.jpg|thumb|350px|center|Bridge in side the Danieli.]]
|-
| [[File:Sacd-viaggio-in-italia-3-Danieli.jpg|thumb|350px|center|Danieli's facade.]]
|
|}

The hotel (at that time it was called the Hotel Royal Danieli) consisted of two buildings, separated by a canal, which justified the presence of the 'internal' bridge. In 1895 the hotel was heavily renovated, with electric light, steam radiators, lifts and other luxuries, and a nearby palace was added to the historical hotel (in Palazzo Dandolo), with a bridge between them. The bridge is similar to the nearby Bridge of Sighs, which connects the Doge's Palace to the Prisons. The photo was taken from the facing Ponte del Vin. Not much has changed, but the current internal bridge is made of different materials, because the original, which you can see in [[ACD]]'s photo, was replaced in a further renovation in 21th century. At an early stage of the investigations I wanted to take some pictures of the current façade of Hotel Danieli, as well as of a panoramic view from the bridge at the back of the hotel, as we were convinced that this would have been the hotel where [[ACD]] stayed (if only to explain why the photograph of the Danieli had been taken). This was confirmed when a letter which [[ACD]] wrote from the Danieli in 1907 was published in 2007.

The Danieli currently consists of three buildings, the last of which (called "Danielino") is almost adjacent to the Prisons.

Unfortunately, the historical records, which still had the guests' signatures (including [[ACD]]'s), were all lost, following the disastrous flooding of 4th November, 1966, when the lagoon city was submerged for several hours by incredibly (and hopefully unrepeatable) high water and risked disappearing.

There is a beautiful picture depicting [[ACD]] on a gondola, with St Mark's Square and the lagoon basin in the background. It was, almost certainly, taken by his wife. The last picture, which depicts a canal inside the city, is not immediately recognizable, for the simple reason that it was not taken from a bridge or street or any other "terra firma", but from a gondola. It wasn't easy to identify this place, as it is a district which is little visited by tourists, located near the hospital.

{|
|-
|style="width:50%;"| [[File:sacd-viaggio-in-italia-1-10-02.jpg|thumb|350px|center|[[Sir Arthur Conan Doyle]] in gondola.]]
|style="width:50%;"| [[File:sacd-viaggio-in-italia-1-08-03.jpg|thumb|350px|center|Near the hospital.]]
|-
| [[File:Sacd-viaggio-in-italia-5-panoramica-generale-ponte-del-cristo.jpg|thumb|300px|center|Ponte del Cristo.]]
| [[File:Sacd-viaggio-in-italia-7-scaletta-ponte-borgoloco.jpg|thumb|300px|center|Stairs Ponte del Borgoloco.]]
|}

The area has remained substantially unchanged since then (except for repairs to some buildings that line the canal), and if you can compare [[ACD]]'s photo with that taken by myself on the Ponte del Cristo, to get a general overview of the area, you will see that the small stairway, which is so clearly evident in [[ACD]]'s photo, is missing. But from the Ponte del Borgoloco (in an area just behind the building to the right of the photo above), you can clearly see the stairway in detail.

Two more photos were taken from the Ponte dei Felzi (which can vaguely be seen in the background in [[ACD]]'s photo), one taken to capture the side in front of the bridge (to highlight the large building in the background), and the other to capture the part of the canal from where you can imagine the writer took the photo, provide a comprehensive overview of the area and clearly trace the route of the gondola. The craft had just come out from the canal that enters transversely into the waters in question, and which came from the square where the hospital is located in Venice.

{|
|-
|style="width:50%;"| [[File:Sacd-viaggio-in-italia-8-scaletta-ponte-borgoloco-dettaglio.jpg|thumb|350px|center|Stairs Ponte del Borgoloco.]]
|style="width:50%;"| [[File:Sacd-viaggio-in-italia-9-ponte-dei-felzi-retro.jpg|thumb|350px|center|Ponte dei Feltri.]]
|-
| [[File:Sacd-viaggio-in-italia-10-ponte-dei-felzi.jpg|thumb|300px|center|Ponte dei Felzi.]]
| [[File:Sacd-viaggio-in-italia-13-vista-sul-prosieguo.jpg|thumb|300px|center|View on the continuation.]]
|}

Therefore, it is easy to assume that the writer had spent that day in the hospital, and then took a gondola nearby. For what reason? It is difficult to know, because that district has always been outside the main tourist attractions and the distance from the square by water is significant. Maybe his wife was ill, or perhaps [[ACD]], mindful of his medical past, wanted to stop in the area for a consultation. We will never know, but we would just like to point out this little mystery, as being worthy of a detective story. And who knows, maybe the writer will send us some clues from above!

----
* [[Italy|Back to Italy]]
* [[Sir Arthur Conan Doyle|Back to Conan Doyle]]

Venice, Romanticism and Mysteries - Revision history

TCDE-Team at 22:13, 12 May 2025