San Marco Back Door

San Marco Back Door, Venice

San Marco Back Door

My cousins and I were wandering together taking photographs. A door was open on the back of San Marco’s Basilica. It is on a very busy calle with tourists crossing a bridge that gives a wonderful view of the Bridge of Sighs, the bridge spanning the Ducal Palace and the prison. It’s name derived from the utterance of condemned prisoners to their last view of the outside world. Since my cousins live in Venice, they felt it was their right to just walk through this door that was ajar. I followed them anxiously and tried to look as casual as they did with a 4×5 camera and tripod over my shoulder. I was astounded at the view I saw.

I have always found these archeological walls compelling. They are repositories of any remodeled architectural feature that is removed. It chronicles and honors the past of San Marco Basilica, and, in a way, reflects Italian society and culture in general in how it honors the past. It also asks me the question, do I honor my past?

This photograph is wonderfully graphic and lit in a way that challenged me photographically and it made me literally jump up and down with excitement but also fidget in anxiety of the trespass.