Venice, city of water and light.
The most astonishing thing about entering Venice, is the proximity between the two worlds of water and land. As you wind your way between alleyways and bridges , you end up getting lost. From dark alleys to bridges leading nowhere, the detours eventually get the better of our orientation. I remember walking a whole day without feeling like I was going over the same ground, stopping often to admire a fleeting viewpoint , chasing the winter sun. Finally, isn’t this the best way to appreciate Venice and discover its romantic charms?
Describing Venice is an impossible task. There’s the Venice we see and the secret, historic Venice, hidden behind the shaky walls that sink inescapably into the sandy sea. You can’t leave Venice unscathed, such is its strong historical anchorage. Even as we look out to sea from the edge of Piazza San Marco, our gaze is arrested by the island of San Giorgio Maggiore and its abbey, and then by the Lido, where the Romans settled and later served as an encampment for the Crusaders. The Lido has always been at the heart of the Venetian lagoon’s defensive system.
But above all, when you discover the Grand Canale and its gondolas, a feeling of timeless romanticism makes you lose track of the present. The mind begins to wander, to the point where you find yourself searching for Casanova’s face behind the carnival masks.
Coming back to reality isn’t easy, especially when derision and carnival spirit turn us into big kids.
Venice (Italy) – January 2011
