Photos and text by Bill Auge with an intro by Geoff

This autumn we had the very great pleasure of meeting Bill Auge a long time reader of ours, and his wife Victoria.
Recently retired, Bill and Victoria took a long anticipated trip to Europe, with Italy as their main goal. Serena and myself spent a lovely couple of days showing them another Italy far from the madding crowd, the relatively unknown area of northern Tuscany known as Lunigiana. It was during this time that I suggested to Bill that, as he now had quite a bit of time on his hands, he might like to write a few guest articles for us describing his and Victoria’s impressions of Italy.
Bill rose admirably to the challenge, and I’m pleased to be able to share the first of his articles with you today. Over to you Bill.

Vaporetti offer a wonderful and inexpensive way to travel the canals of Venezia

As the cold dark days of winter drag on, a smile forms on my face as I reminisce on the Italian journey my wife Victoria and I shared this past autumn.  On a sunny afternoon we landed at Marco Polo Airport and after a nervous search for our luggage, which had been loaded onto the wrong carousel, we caught a bus that took us quickly to Piazzale Roma, the entrance point of Venezia.  
From here one can only travel by foot or boat.  We proceeded by vaporetto (ferry), the public transport of Venezia, to our hotel.  The vaporetti are slow and sometimes it is faster to walk, but they offer a wonderful and inexpensive way to travel the canals of Venezia, especially if you buy a multi day pass.

… who would have the audacity to build such a city

I suggest taking a ride on a vaporetto at night when the palazzi lining the Grand Canal are lit up. Start at the train station and ride to Piazza San Marco. During the day the crowds of tourist can be overbearing especially around the piazza,  but at night its nearly empty’, so disembark at the San Marco stop, stroll around the piazza and treat yourself to a caffe or some gelato.
The beauty of Venezia can only be understood by standing on the water’s edge and experiencing it. Study the architecture and the masterworks of the great Venetian artists, which can be found in many of the churches and especially the Gallerie dell’Accademia, and contemplate who would have the audacity to build such a city.

… we wandered the streets of Venezia in a light rain

The morning of our last day we had some free time.  So we wandered the streets of Venezia in a light rain, moving through the passage ways of the old Jewish Ghetto, across small canals, and down narrow streets, some of which end abruptly at the edge of a canal.  We absorbed this magical city of water, history and art one last time before catching a high speed train to Firenze.

to be continued …