Thoughts from a Trip to Italy #3: Some Impressions of Venice

The third and last destination on our recent trip to Italy was Venice.  We arrived there from Florence by train, then we took a boat to the hotel.  There are no cars there.  I didn’t see any motorbikes, or even bicycles.  You get around by boat or by walking.

Our hotel was near the famous Rialto bridge. 

Some quick impressions of Venice:

• It was cold, especially compared to Florence and Rome.  We never went out without jackets.  We did not do the gondola ride–too cold to be enjoyed. 
• It is not a place to save money on vacation.  Restaurants are not cheap.  Shops are mostly high-end.  If you like finding bargains, Venice is not the place for you.
• It has, strangely, had much more historical influence for its size than you would guess.  It was a pivotal city in the world for a long time.  Venice, historically, was about commerce and power.  Today it is about commerce and tourism.
• The marshy islands of the Venice area were first settled around 500 AD by people fleeing barbarians from the mainland.  The ground was stabilized by timber pilings, imported from Croatian forests, that were driven down into it.  These pilings have lasted for over 1,000 years because they are under the water level and do not touch oxygen. 
• The residential population has decreased down to about 50,000.  Possible reasons: the expense of living there, getting tired of having so many tourists around, and the profitability of moving out of your place and turning into an Air B&B. 

But there is another takeaway from the visit.  My impression is that Venice did not seem very religious. 

Of course, there were churches.   Most notably the Basilica of Saint Mark.  But for some reason Christianity did not seem to be in the culture as much as it did in other parts of Italy.  It was not ‘in the air’. 

Maybe I’m over analyzing things, but that’s what I noticed.  One example–the Murano glass.  Murano glass (named for the place it’s made, on an island just off Venice), is amazing.  It’s much more than simple glassblowing.  This glass is sold all over Venice, in high-priced jewelry-store types of shops. 

But not once did I see religious imagery in the Murano glass.  No crosses, nothing.  Even the Christmas imagery was strictly secular.  They did, however, make some devil figures.  What’s up with the Murano glass? 

In other ways, too, I wondered, in this country that is so Catholic, why Venice did not have more symbols of Christianity.  Was it its history as a center of money and power?  What it the present-day emphasis on tourism?  I don’t know. 

This got me thinking about Christianity and culture.  Is it even important to have a Christian culture?  Is there any benefit to it?  After all, culture doesn’t save you, faith in Christ does. 

I used to think that having a Christian culture might not be a good thing.  In the first church I pastored, which was in small town Oklahoma, I remember that I grew to resent the Bible Belt culture.  I thought it was like a warm blanket that lulled people to into spiritual sleep–a replacement for a vital personal spiritual life. 

Now I look back and realize that my thinking was too simplistic. 

Now, I appreciate a Christian culture.  I like seeing Christian symbols.  Those reminders are good.    

In Italy, seeing the many symbols of Christianity like crosses and statues of saints (though Catholic), struck me in a positive way.  It was a reminder of spiritual things in a world that easily overlooks God.  It pointed out a spiritual reality to be reckoned with. 

Now I’m pro-Christian culture and pro-Christian symbols.  True, those alone won’t save anybody, but at least it makes Christianity visible and puts it in mind.  In an increasingly secularized society, we need things that will point to saving truth…or at least the beginnings of conversations about it. 

So, I’m in favor of those things that point to significance of Christ. 

An example: when referring to history, I like when the years are referred to in BC (before Christ) or AD (anno Domini, in the year of our Lord) rather than the anemic and secular BCE (before common era) and CE (common era).  Why this secularization? 

Christmas applications: 1) “Merry Christmas” should be said rather than “Happy Holidays.”  2) Nativity scenes are good; they are better than Santa Claus themes. 3) Christmas hymns, which remind us of the reason for it all: the “good news of great joy, that will be for all the people” (Luke 2:10) are better than secular carols which only talk about the warm feelings or sentimentalities of the season.

Why is there a tendency to drain the Christian spiritual life out of things?  We have the best news anyone ever heard–we should be emphasizing it rather than hiding it. 

Any opportunity to emphasize Christ should be taken.    

So, back to Venice–though unique and impressive and beautiful, it seemed like a secular city compared to the other parts of Italy we saw.  And that’s too bad. 

We should emphasize the words and symbols of Christianity.  It can lead to discussions, even evangelism.  Drifting into a soulless secularism is all too easy.