Having waded through the 1600+ photos that I took in Venice, I’ve finally come up with a moderate selection to post on here. This was our 4th trip to Venice, each of them for a week, but I never tire of the place – it’s absolutely wonderful.
We did pack an awful lot into the first few days – probably too much – and were pretty knackered by the middle of the week. The 60+ steps up to the apartment (overlooking Campo Santa Maria Formosa) didn’t help, especially as they got steeper nearer the top. I think the most I did was 5 times in one day.
The first lot of photos are just some general views.
One thing I love to photograph in Venice is the decay, although the tourist people would probably hate me for it. I think that the rusting ironwork, the rotting wood and the decaying plasterwork add to Venice, showing that it’s a real place, not some sanitised mock-up. And on a grander scale, there are the screened off palazzo, where serious restoration work is going on behind the scenes. One day, the finished product will be on display again, but for now you just get a bloody big sheet. One some buildings, particularly around St Marks, they actually put a painting of the building on the front so you can see what you’re missing.
One place we’ve not been to before is San Michele, which is the graveyard island. Given the water level, people aren’t buried below ground so much! A fascinating place.
One recommendation I would always make is to go to the veg and fish market at Rialto – well worth a look.
The other new one this year was a tour round the clock tower on St Marks – not the big Campanile, but the one with the bells and Moors on top. When the parents visited Venice for the first time in 1977, they were able to go up the tower, but it’s been closed ever since – we think that this was Mother’s 12th trip to Venice and this was the first time since the original trip that she’s been up there. We booked the trip for her birthday, and fortuitously booked the 11am tour – which meant we were up at the top when the bells struck 12. The views over St Marks are fantastic, and tour guide Aga was excellent
The Brother and I also took a couple of trips out at dusk to take photos, which worked well. The longer exposures here are anywhere between 2 and 5 minutes.
And finally, a few that don’t really fit in anywhere else.
I’m going straight to hell for that one of the nun, aren’t I?
It’s worth mentioning the company we use for the apartment – Venetian Apartments.