Admire the view, as the aircraft banks over the Laguna
Veneta, of the spires and clock towers of countless aged churches.
Beauty hidden for the moment under those spikes of white and
domes of grey
Cascades of sparkling foam race down the side of the water
taxi speeding across the bay dodging the dawdling buses
Daunting the walk to the Hotel as you get the first glimpse
of the narrow dark sometimes dank streets and alleyways that crisscross the
city
Enthusiastic the Venetians explaining the sights and
delights that lay in store
Famous sights like San Marco , Campanile, and Rialto and not
so well known delights such as the Chicchetti
Gelato, just one of course, is de rigueur as soon as you
step out on that first exploratory mission of personal discovery
Heady from the surprises round each corner and over each
bridge, byzantine meets modern, with the locals washing hanging between them.
Idiomatic imagery is all around the Gondolas, Gondoliers and
Gothic piazzas
Jazz is playing at the Cafe Quadri for passing tourists, but
especially for those rich enough to sit awhile and drink a coffee
Klein, Prada, Tiffany all the brands are here on the shopping
routes around the Rialto Bridge, slightly incongruous amongst the enthralling
antiquity
Listening from the canal side you can truly hear the
serenade “o sole mio” ringing round the tapering waterways
Masks for the carnevale de venitia are sold everywhere but
no one can find the carnival
Nightime brings new pleasures lit up by the lamplight
dangling from the Gondolas and the moon caressing the canals
Osteria open for dinner with every kind of fish and seafood
fresh from the Mercato that morning
Prosecco the local aperativo starts each meal, sweet, bubbly,
joyful jovial.
Quintessentially enjoyed on the bank of the Grand Canal with
the warm summer breeze stirring the waves to lap just below your feet
Renaissance art Titian and Tintoretto are found here of
course in the beautiful, basilicas
Standing testament to the golden age of the Venetian
republic
Tradition of course but Venice also showcases modernity, the
Guggenheim collection a definitive demonstration of 20th century art and
artists
Unrivalled and unique, as a site of secular pilgrimage but,
Venetians are few, their number dominated by 20 million
visitors each year
Weighed down by the exited expectations of the incomers the
nature of the city changes
Xenolithic gems spring from the rocky sinking foundations
Yet there is a new truth amongst all the wonders
Zero use. This is a city without a purpose beyond the
visitor, an holistic, historic holiday park.
