St. Petersburg, the Venice of the North with the Wandering Writer

Hello, everybody.

Like I promised last time, I am going to continue telling about my wanderings around the world, and this time I am going to tell about Russia, In particular, St. Petersburg.

This is the second largest city in Russia after Moscow and was founded in 1703 by the Tsar Peter the Great, and it was originally the capital of Imperial Russia. With the time passing by, the revolutions, cultural and political changes, the name of the city changed at least other three times from St. Petersburg to Petrograd, to Leningrad, and back to St. Petersburg in 1991 (and we all hope there won’t be any other changes in the name).

The city I considered the cultural center of Russia, and it is also known as the “Venice of the North.” The comparison between the two cities comes, in fact quite natural as we are walking along the Neva River and its channels that cross the city.

The beautiful bridges that connect one side of the river channels and the beautiful architecture give, at times the idea of being transported, for one second, to the Italian city.

The big difference is that despite being extremely beautiful and rich in history, it is not as expensive as Venice, and this is a great plus, giving a chance to the tourist to enjoy to the fullest the city without having the feeling of being robbed at every step. St. Petersburg offers beauty, culture, and fashion at every corner, people are friendly, and the food is awesome. Just like in Italy, Russian people do not generally speak a good English, but they are ready to help, and with a bit of patience you will get the information/direction/restaurant you need.

Walking the streets, you will come across to the very different type of architectures typical of each political/cultural change that happened in the country. Although, the most impressive, are those of the Imperial Russia.

One of the must-see and visit is the Winter Palace, which was until 1917 the official residence of the monarchs. Today, the palace hosts the Hermitage Museum, which hosts an impressive collection of artifacts coming from the whole world. Likewise, all the biggest museums in the world, be prepared to spend an entire day to visit it; believe me, you won’t regret.

The palace itself is a great artifact of architecture and its history, together with that of all the people who had been playing an important role in the history of Russia, can be felt as you walk the large rooms, the corridors, and halls.

Another great architecture’s jewel is the Church of the Savior on Blood, and it has many names. However, the reason behind the name it seems to lie in the fact that it was built on the same site where the Emperor Alexander II was fatally wounded in 1881. 

You will have the best view of it coming from the other side of the Griboedov Canal.

St. Petersburg was able to entice me, and I am for sure going one more time to visit Russia. Next time, perhaps it will be Moscow… we’ll see.

In the meanwhile, I wish you a great weekend and see you next time... STAY TUNED!