Our last destination in Italy was Venice – a place I have dreamed of visiting for many years.
Sights: St. Mark’s Basilica and Square, the Bridge of Sighs and Rialto Bridge, Scuola San Rocco (aka Tintoretto’s Sistine Chapel), Ca’ Rezzonico, boat traffic along the grand canal
Sounds: Vivaldi’s Four Seasons performed in an historic church, dueling orchestras outside coffee houses in St. Mark’s square, late-night accordion on the street outside our hotel
Smells: orange, roses, chocolate, coffee
Tastes: Campari spritz, salad with burrata, pizza, pasta with peas and pistachios, gelato
Feels: absolute delight at exploring the city built on water, sadness that the city is becoming a caricature of itself with tourists now outnumbering locals on many days
