A trip to Venice would not be complete without a gondola ride. Exploring Venice along her streets of water, provides a uniquely romantic perspective. It might be a very ‘touristy’ thing to to do but really where else can you become acquainted with a city by water and be serenaded by a gondolier as you do so? From where we were staying we could literally step out of our bedroom window onto the canal……….
View from Corte 1321 our delightful and highly recommended, bed and breakfast
Our Gondolier wrapped up in the cold March weather
Venice showing off its enviable Italian style ~ certainly a different way to shop!
Everywhere you go in Venice, be it on foot or by water, there are reminders of the Carnival, mostly in the form of colourful masks. Some expensive, beautiful, hand-made pieces of art, although there are an abundance of cheaper copies for everyone to purchase! The story behind these masks is associated with the Venetians addiction to gambling. The Venetians were so consumed with this ‘past time’ that in order to protect their identity they came up with the idea of wearing a mask. Colourful, often outrageous, sometimes quite menacing artistic creations, worn now mostly at Carnival and available for us all to ‘party’!
Early morning flooding on the canal
The Rialto Bridge
Morning exercise on Venice’s ‘streets’
The market Place where James Bond jumped from the balcony, in true ‘007’ style in Casino Royal
James Bond’s ‘support team’, Ventian style!
And at the end of a busy day, the gondolier needs to check his date is confirmed
Ready for a carefully prepared, delicious dinner in the local Trattoria!
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