Venezia

I have previously avoided Venice for fear of tourist over-load. I now realise that was a great mistake. What an amazing city! Over the last few days, we have explored the Rialto, Saint Mark's Square and viewed the city atop the Campanile bell tower. We have ridden the Vaporettos up and down the Grand Canal and over to the Lido. We have eaten pizza, pasta, fish, chicken, pork and excellent gelato. We have frequently called into small bars to drink real coffee and cheap wine – sometimes at the same time.  We can be surrounded by hoards and then completely lost within 60 seconds. The first days blessed us with clear skies and warm sun. Today, we woke to thick fog, which cleared briefly before descending back into a bone-aching chill. As a result, we partook in more wine than coffee. Later today, after a warming rest, we jumped back on our local Vaporetto to see Saint Marks at night. We cruised down the Grand Canal in pitch dark, squinting at the beautiful sights through dense fog. We landed at Harry’s Bar before entering the tourist crush. We then wandered around before finding another ferry to head back home. We stopped to shop for the final time, buying supplies to cook in our apartment. Tomorrow morning we will take the Vaporetto back to our car and drive the 570 ks to Rome. We have splurged and booked a special apartment in the same block as the Pantheon, and in search of ‘la dolce vita’