We’re in Venice, Italy, touring the Doge’s Palace. We’re having a fine time, ooing and aahing as all good tourists do. We’ve seen some spectacular rooms, but now it’s time to explore the other side of the Doge’s palace – the dark side.
Five hundred years ago, when Venice was in its golden age, the Doge built this palace to show off Venice’s riches and power. Behind the scenes, the palace was all business, housing government offices, an armory, the Doge’s apartments, and two prisons.
As noted last time, prison cells upstairs housed short-timers and those awaiting trial. The other prison, located on the ground floor of a wing of the palace, housed convicted criminals serving their time. These cells were called the “Pozzi,” (the Wells).
The Bridge of Sighs
In the 16th century, a new prison was built next door to the palace. Courtrooms where people were tried remained in the palace. The new prison was next door, so it was a convenient arrangement.
A canal runs between the palace and the prison building. An enclosed bridge crosses over that canal. Guards took prisoners across the bridge to have their day in court.
If their day in court did not go well, guards led them back across the bridge to their cell. And for many a convicted Venetian criminal, the light visible through the windows on that bridge would be the last daylight they’d ever see. With that thought in mind, the bridge is called the Bridge of Sighs.
(If you were a rocker in the 70’s, you might remember another “Bridge of Sighs” – the Robin Trower Bridge of Sighs, eh?)
We’re not going to cross the Bridge of Sighs today. Instead, we’re going into the place where no one ever wanted to be – the Pozzi.
The Pozzi
The Pozzi might not be everyone’s favorite part of the palace. Particularly those with claustrophobic tendencies who aren’t lovers of dank, dark, spooky enclosed places. Such is the case with my mildly claustrophobic Better Half.
The Pozzi in the Doge’s palace is truly a creepy place. That’s today. One can only imagine how awful it must have been 500 years ago, when it was darker, danker, and drearier. When air reeked and the only sounds were those of scurryings and scrapings of the local rat population.
The Pozzi is a series of passageways made of stone. Cells line the passageways on either side. The passageways have a smell all their own. It’s not a horrible smell, at least not these days.
The odor might have something to do with water seepage, centuries-old bits of organic matter, or maybe the ghosts of the miserable sods who wasted away in there. Hmmmm… I think I might be getting a little claustrophobic myself!
In We Go…
My mildly claustrophobic Better Half summoned up her courage and off we went into the Pozzi. It was seriously creepy in there. But it was interesting, too. Even though it’s on the first floor of the palace, it seems like you’re underground when you’re in the Pozzi.
Huge iron bars filled openings in the cell walls. There wouldn’t be any sawing through one of those bars. Might as well not even waste time smuggling in a file baked into a panettone.
The air in the Pozzi was humid and slightly foul. Not the kind of air you’d want to be breathing for an extended period of time, like, say… 30 years. We didn’t see any signs of rats, but I bet this used to be one of their favorite hangouts.
Hey, Where’d She Go?
We were about halfway through the Pozzi when I heard a scuffling noise. I turned around to check on my mildly claustrophobic Better Half. Hey, where’d she go?
Then I caught a glimpse of our heroine high-tailing it down the passageway, heading for who knows where. Probably someplace with a bit more ambiance.
I took off after her. She moved at a quick, steady pace. The passageway we were in wasn’t big enough to stand straight up in, but it was long and straight. She reminded me of a bullet travelling down the barrel of a rifle. From my vantage point, all I could see was the back of the bullet.
Then nothing. Where’d she go? Turned a corner. There she is! This happened a couple of times, but I managed to keep within view of the little blur of cuteness shooting down the passageways.
She made it out to open space and daylight, followed by me not far behind. That was probably enough Pozzi for one day. Perhaps it’s time to go somewhere, sit down, and relax. Maybe have a glass of wine. A BIG one!
To be continued…
Note: The photo at the top of the post of a corridor in the Pozzi is from the Palazzo Ducale website.
