Naples: Step back in time, but watch where you put your feet.

Naples is dirty, loud, raucous, unexpected and a decent base for exploring.

Pompeii.

We used Naples as a base to explore interesting sights in the area, like Pompeii, Vesuvius and Herculaneum. We haven’t spent a whole lot of time in Naples and have only done a few afternoon walks around to get a grasp of what the place is all about. My conclusion? It is an intense city; the place makes me uncomfortable, because I don’t know what to expect from it next. There is something going on everywhere you look: kids play soccer in a dead-end street; scooters whiz down pedestrian areas; men softly whisper “iPhone? iPad mini?” as you walk past; pornographic DVDs and magazines are on display front and center in street newsstands, large groups of people gather around TV screens on the street to watch the European Champions’ League; men and women strut down the street in outrageous and over-embellished fashions and animated conversations are constantly going on between locals. We fade into the crowd here and I don’t feel like as much of an obvious tourist as I have. The people don’t seem to be as affluent as they have in other areas we have been to, so the beggars beg a little harder and people actually demand tips (prior to which they had not). Naples is bustling and constantly moving. Luckily we got a grasp of Italian traffic in Rome, so walking out in front of a car hurtling towards you and hoping it stops is now par for the course. Naples is dirty. Graffiti tags fill almost every flat space, there is so much dog shit everywhere that your walk down the street resembles a game of hopscotch, a gust of wind picks up plastic bags that dance around your ankles and cigarette butts fill all the cracks in the cobblestones. A lot of stuff I read about this place has told me to look beyond the dirt and find Naples’s charm. Unfortunately, I have not been able to do that. In fact, I was turned off by it.

The streets of Naples.

But more importantly than all of that, believe the hype – the pizza is delicious. Seriously, it’s amazing. The hot tip is Da Michele Pizzeria’s margarita and marinara pizzas- the only two available toppings on the menu, and the only two they need!.

We caught the train to Pompeii’s amazing ruins and spent about 6 hours wandering around with our audio guides looking at what is left behind of the city destroyed by the eruption of Vesuvius in 79AD. The site is so well preserved; unlike the ruins of old Rome, which were pillaged by those wanting to build new Rome, Pompeii was preserved by layers of ash and pumice when it was a city on top of its game. You can see inside people’s homes and their gardens, as well as the city’s amphitheatre, bathhouses and temples. Highlights included the old theatre which could house 5000 of Pompeii’s residents and the house of the tragic poet, with the world’s first ‘beware of the dog’ sign, in mosaic no less. I really enjoyed Pompeii because it allowed me to feel like I had stepped back in time; however, there was something creepy about the place. Maybe it was that feeling of it being a massive graveyard. The plaster casts of Vesuvius’s victims in their final moments before death both fascinated and horrified me (if you haven’t heard of the Fiorelli process before, check out this explanation) It was like I was seeing something I had no right to see, a person’s last moment. Even though these casts are not the person, just the voids they left imprinted on the ash, it was still confronting. The only disappointing thing was many of the houses and sites (including the famous brothel) were closed for works, but that is par for the course when you visit a real archaeological site that needs maintenance.

A plaster cast of one of Pompeii’s residents as he faced the fury of Vesuvius.

Just a quick trip up the road is Herculaneum, the lesser known victim of Vesuvius in 79AD. Herculaneum is smaller and better preserved than Pompeii. The site includes wood, tiles and other natural matter that were lost in Pompeii excavations. A couple of hours in Herculaneum was plenty, but that is only based on it’s size. It is much smaller and is more of a portion of a village, rather than a city like Pompeii. A lot of the art work that adorned the walls is still there, the mosaics are better preserved and even some roofs and second and third stories remain in tact, giving a fuller picture of the way these people lived.

Herculaneum and Vesuvius.

After a visit to the ruins, the natural thing to do was to go to climb Mt Vesuvius, the cause of all that trouble. The volcano looms large over the area and was a constant presence as we explored the ruins and Naples itself. We climbed Vesuvius, but unfortunately as we climbed it it became painfully clear that we were inside a rain cloud. Needless to say we were not only soaked, but couldn’t see the view, the inside of the crater or even a metre in front of our faces. Not a fun walk, but we climbed up the whole way and no-one can take that away from us! The highlight of that trip was sitting in the van that took us to the volcano driving back down to Ercolano; we were soaked, grumpy and generally annoyed by the whole situation when the driver chucked on his favourite CD. The first track? That’s Amore. the second? Volare. Yes, just like the first time I heard someone say “Mama Mia” for real here (which was in Venice, by the way), I wanted to shout “it’s true!!!”, but I held it together.

The walk to the top of Vesuvius.

Naples and its surrounding archaeological sites mark the end of our Italian adventure. It certainly hasn’t been my favourite city, but the amazing historical places we have been able to visit while we were here have made it a worthwhile trip. A dear friend asked me if I “got my nerd on” in Pompeii, and the answer was a resounding, ‘heck yes’. And I loved it!

Rome: where the past catches up with you.

Rome is historic, bustling, cultural, extensive and confounding.

The view of Rome from the top of The Vittoriano building.

Visiting one of the great cities of the world is an interesting experience. When a place is written about, spoken about and committed to celluloid you suddenly have expectations of how it will be. Rome is more than that. It is more than Audrey Hepburn and Gregory Peck riding around on scooters. It is more than people using the saying “when in Rome…” incorrectly. It is more than ‘La Dolce Vita’. It is more than gladiators. It is much more than a pile of ruins. I, like many others, had an impression of Rome before I got off the train here. What I have learned is that it is hard to capture what Rome truly is; it is many parts to a puzzle. We have been in Rome for 6 and a half days and have still felt rushed. There is so much to see and do. My appetites for history, archaeology, art, culture, mythology, food and drink have all been sated, but I know I have barely scratched the surface of what ‘The Eternal City’ has to offer. The city of Rome is actually a big open-air museum. Ruins from ancient times slot in easily next to medieval churches, baroque fountains and Renaissance palazzos. Being here is like being in a living timeline and you step in and out of eras with the greatest of ease.

Around The Forum, all the eras are covered.

After failing to get into the Colosseum on our first day in Rome (Apparently some guy named ‘Obama’ was having a private tour at the time), we woke up bright and early and visited The Colosseum with a guide. He was a local with some good gags, and a real passion for both the era and defending the reputation of the Roman people. He also reminded me of Australian acting great, Anthony LaPaglia, so that’s not a bad thing. The building itself is momentous and awe-inspiring. Considering the state of some of the other ruins in the area it is also pretty well preserved. The roof collapsed and took a fair chunk of the floor and seating with it, leaving the space a shell of what it was. Also included in the ticket to the Colosseum is entry into Palatine Hill where the Emperors of the Roman empire lived in huge palaces with lush gardens and The Forum, a handful of ruins that were once the empire’s economic and political heart. All were extremely interesting, however, I’m not the world’s greatest visualiser and trying to imagine the ruins not being ruins was a little tough for me in parts. Nevertheless, the area itself and our guides made it a very interesting history lesson. In fact, the lesson was so interesting we went back to The Colosseum to explore the underground levels, and to The Forum to get a better look around, a couple of days later. We’ve also been museum-hopping, checking out artifacts and artwork from the Roman empire. We saw a great temporary exhibition called ‘Monsters’ about how mythological beings like the Minotaur, Sirens and Gorgons are represented in art. History is in abundance here and even the museums themselves are historical locations, like the national museum that specializes in ancient artifacts that happens to be in an old Roman bath house itself.

Inside the Colosseum.

Our trip to the Vatican was an interesting one to say the least. I have to say I didn’t love it; the place just didn’t sit well with me. This has very little to do with my status as a reformed catholic or my religious beliefs, but more to do with respect and the almighty dollar. We entered the Basilica and of course, I was awestruck by the gold, the marble, the artwork (including the more famous of Michelangelo’s Pietas), most of it stolen from the disbanded remains of the former Roman empire. Buildings like the Colosseum, the palaces and the forum helped build St. Peter’s and helped Roman people forget their past. Once inside it was hard to enjoy the moment. People were everywhere, jostling for position, pushing in and generally being rude to each other. Irregardless of the religion, any holy site is worthy of respect because it means something to people. Although practising religion is not something I do, I believe in people’s right to do it freely. So when I got shoved out of the way for a man to take a better picture of the embalmed body of a former Pope; when people who actually going to mass while we were there were being blocked by people taking selfies; and when I saw people hocking rosary beads for a euro and I Heart Papa Francesco tote bags for 20, I thought it was a bit too much. It ceased to be a special place, it was just an attraction. Maybe I’m a bit too sensitive (I have been accused of being too politically correct more than once), but I think a lack of respect really cheapened the experience. We also went to the Vatican museum. For me, it was purely to see the Sistine Chapel. To get to the chapel you must walk through the many Vatican art galleries and museum rooms, all curated and opened by different Popes for different reasons. The Vatican’s collection of art was extensive, impressive and considering similar works we have seen so far, very well preserved. The collection was a reminder of the power and influence of the church over centuries. I cannot fathom a figure that is even close to what the collection is worth. It housed everything from Etruscan antiquities to Pope-commissioned work by Dali. My neck hurt from looking up at the ornate ceilings painted with devotional art works and gilded (of course) in gold. That was probably another thing that didn’t sit so well, the extreme wealth of the church and the decadence of the space. The Sistine Chapel was amazing, no words I write here can do it justice. It must be seen to be fully appreciated. After missing seeing Pope Francis on Sunday (we were in the museum when he came out onto his balcony for a wave) we ventured back past the Vatican on Wednesday to see him address his flock of Pilgrims on our way to Italian film-maker Dario Argento’s little shop of horrors. We only stayed for a short amount of time. The crowd was immense and the atmosphere was much more positive.

The roof of one of the Vatican galleries.

Please disregard any previous comments I have made about how busy places have been. Florence, Cinque Terre and Venice have had nothing on Rome. There are people everywhere. In fact, I don’t think I have seen so many people than I have around the attractions here. Our obligatory coin toss into the Trevi fountain was completed  with hundreds of others, we fought phenomenal crowds to walk down The Spanish Steps, we shuffled through The Vatican museum with people boxing us in from all directions and we lined up – for everything. Even eating a gelato or grabbing pizza at our favourite pizzeria (Pizzeria della Secolo) was done with large groups of other people. But, this is to be expected. Rome is one of the great cities of the world and it turns it wasn’t just on my bucket list. It would be fabulous if it were some sort of ghost town, but then it wouldn’t be Rome!

The Trevi Fountain.

Actually, speaking of gelati I ate the best one I’ve ever had on our last lunch here. From a shop called ‘Romana’. They’ve been making gelati since the 1940s. I have never tasted better and I don’t know how one could possibly taste better. I’m getting dreamy just thinking about it again.

Practising my Italian has fallen by the wayside too. Everyone speaks amazing English. Before the trip began I was warned about some Italians’ annoyance at having to speak English to tourists, but besides our airport shuttle driver in Venice (who threw his hands in the air in disgust when he spoke to a woman in Italian and she looked at him with confusion), this has not been the case. I’m trying to speak Italian where I can, but the fact that people actually say “hello” before “buongiorno” to us here is not helping my studies. I shouldn’t complain, based on an extremely half-arsed effort in my 4 years of study at school I really only know how to say hello, please, my numbers to 13, thank you, sorry and a few other choice phrases and helpful ingredients, so it is oh-so convenient when I don’t know the Italian word.

Statue of Castor and Pollux in Piazza del Quirinale.

One of the days here we were lucky enough to visit the Abruzzo village of Celano, where my paternal grandmother was born before her family emigrated. They migrated to Australia when she was a girl. Celano is a small town built into the side of a mountain. Up the top, a small castle looks down over the town of classic Italian villas. It is a beautiful place. Being in the place she was born was a wonderful experience. We walked around the town and ate some of the best food we have had on the trip in a small restaurant that served us homemade pasta and bread (and whose proprietors didn’t speak a word of English! Yay!). On this day, I felt connected to her and her memory in a way I haven’t for many years. Sadly, I was only 7 years old when she died, so although many of my memories of her have faded, she had such a larger-than-life personality that I can still vividly recall those aspects of her character that made her who she was. I still remember her kindness, her generosity of spirit, her ferocious love for her boys, The Carlton Football Club, her no-nonsense attitude and her warm smile. I hope I have inherited some of those qualities that made her so loved, especially by my Dad. Well, I know I definitely inherited her love for the Blues.

Celano, Abruzzo.

I don’t think this blog can sum up Rome, there is too much too it. Past and present Rome do not clash, they comfortably sit side by side and even compliment each other. We’ve seen ancient artifacts, horror museums, beautiful art, ruins, a pope, a US president, icons of history, film and literature all within the city boundaries. So, with my coin sitting in the bottom of the Trevi, hopefully I can return for another round and discover more on another ‘Roman Holiday’ one day.

Florence: you’ll forget about all the lining up.

Florence is crowded, religious, crazy, beautiful and smaller than expected.

Florence from Piazzle Michelangelo

We decided to visit Pisa on our way to Florence. Of course, going here is based around seeing the leaning tower. It’s an icon of Italy and I think I would have felt strange if I hadn’t laid eyes on it. Kind of like not getting a pizza (well, maybe not that crazy). The tower itself is strange to see and quite captivating. The lean is hard to capture in photos, but rest assured I got my dicky tourist photo of me holding it up. It was very crowded and there were more than a few people keen to pay the 18 Euro to climb to the top. I was not one of them. Pisa was a nice enough town, but unfortunately it didn’t hold our attention for too long. The stopover on the train was the perfect way to see it. The real highlight, however, was the delicious panini I ate as we walked back to the train. It was amazing. Speck, eggplant, brie and pesto. Delicious.

The Leaning Tower of Pisa.

We arrived in Florence in a downpour. Lugging our bags around in the pouring rain was not a happy travel moment, but I guess it can’t all be sunshine and rainbows (weather pun intended). Then, in a Melbourne-esque turn, the sun came out only a matter of moments later, which was then replaced by an arctic cold breeze. For a second, it made me a little homesick. The best part about the rain was seeing the hasty alterations by the street-sellers who quickly packed away their designer knock-off sunglasses for sale and pulled out umbrellas of all shapes and sizes for our perusal. Enterprise at its best.

A walk around the city to get your bearings is always the first thing I like to do in a new spot. This was almost impossible in Venice, but has been a good way to get to know Riomaggiore and Florence. On this walk we quickly discovered that the dominant figure in the landscape of the city is the Duomo. It is an imposing structure, but is magnificently detailed. It peers over other buildings and if you’re looking in its general direction it can be seen from all around (even from the window of our hostel room). I actually don’t think I’ve ever seen a more impressive building anywhere. Of course, many, many, many agree with me and the Piazza del Duomo is filled with people; morning, noon and night. Walking through is hard, lining up is a fact of life and you must do your best to avoid being sucked into a walking group vortex. There are a lot of people because there is lots to do in the piazza: a visit to the stunning Baptistery, with its Byzantine-inspired mosaic dome; walking through the cathedral and seeing fascinating Roman ruins that lie underneath it; climbing the bell tower and the dome for breathtaking city views and visiting the Duomo museum that features ‘Pieta’ a sculpture by Michelangelo (and a mate, but who remembers him?). We were lucky enough to climb the dome while 8am mass was on. The 3 priests sang in Italian while we looked up at the amazing roof and down at the cathedral below. I’m not a religious person, but it was a very special moment to be a part of.

The view of the Duomo from its bell tower.

But it is not all about the Duomo. It’s also the other D – David. He is everywhere. You see his famous form on everything from guide books and brochures to him in all his glory on the front of novelty boxer shorts, Michelangelo’s David is the star of Florence. And with good reason, the sculpture itself is nothing short of amazing. David’s sinewy muscles, protruding ribs and knobby knees are so real. It is as if you are staring at a real-life gigantic man. I looked at David for the longest that I have ever looked at a piece of art and he never got boring. The scene around the statue is almost as interesting. The large crowd all stare up in awe, proclaiming their amazement in many languages; talented art students sit and try to sketch his much copied form and cheeky tourists try to take sneaky photos and are chased around by hapless security shouting ‘no photo!’. We also fought a large crowd earlier in the day at the Uffizi Gallery, home of the beautiful ‘Birth of Venus’ by Botticelli. The crowd that gathered around her was not quite as big as around David but the gallery itself was packed. We bought tickets before so we could use the ‘reservation’ line, but we still lined up for 45 minutes. The poor folk in the line to buy tickets apparently had a wait of 2 hours to contend with. A conversation about Florence cannot happen without mentioning all the lining up. The interesting thing is that as soon as you’re in, the line ups are forgotten. We forgot the line for the dome climb when we were at the top staring out for miles over Florence and Tuscany. We forgot the line into the Uffizi when we walked down the long hallway that was lined with sculptures from Roman times to the Renaissance. We forgot the line to get into the Academia when we saw David towering above us. It was frustrating at the time, but it was worth it in the end.

A David copy in Piazza della Signoria (Where the real David used to live).

After 3 days of exploring the city, we jumped on a bus to explore a little more of Tuscany. Our day trip was to Siena, a quaint little medieval town that’s claim to fame is that it runs a not-so-RSPCA-approved horse race in the town piazza every July. Even without being present for the race, Siena is a charming town. Its contrasts are evident from the time you step off the bus, designer shops in historical buildings, tourists and university students battling cars that streak up and down the cobblestone streets and hundreds of people packing out the piazza while the streets around it are silent. I know some people base themselves out of Siena in Tuscany, but there wasn’t much more than a day trip’s worth of stuff to do there for us.

Piazza Del Campo, home to the horse race ‘Il Palio’

Florence is an interesting city. It is able to be many things to many people: it is a tourist mecca; it is a creative centre; it has scams; it has beauty and for the moment, it is home to the best pizza we have had in Italy. (from Foccacia della Notte for those of you playing along at home). Onward to Roma.

Cinque Terre: upstairs, downstairs.

Cinque Terre is magnificent, busy, picturesque, American and features more stairs than you have ever seen.

Manarola, one of the Cinque Terre.

Our Eurail pass took us from coast to coast and we found ourselves in Italy’s north-west. It was easy, efficient and an amazing way to see the rolling hills and countryside of Veneto and Tuscany, all at 250ks per hour. It made me ponder why in Australia we are so behind on the high-speed rail caper. But then again we seem so behind on environmental issues, marriage  equality and about a thousand other things so I guess I shouldn’t be too shocked. *apologies, end political rant*

The end of the line was glorious Riomaggiore, the first of the 5 towns that make up ‘Cinque Terre’. Riomaggiore is a seaside town set into cliffs. Being a fishing village, everyone wants to be close to the water so the locals decided to build up, not out. The effect is high rise terrace houses, steep stairs and people literally living on top of each other. Like Venice, here are a group of people who just make it work. The houses are painted pastel yellows, pinks and oranges and most have green shutters. The effect of this colour scheme is breathtaking and impactful. I guess that is the running theme here. All the space has impact. The mountains, the sheer cliff faces, the buildings in large packs, the ocean that blends into the horizon and the colours all come together to create an amazing postcard finish.

Riomaggiore.

This is probably one of the many reasons that this is one of the more “touristy” locations I have been to. Now, I know a lot of people say that word quite snidely and somehow think that they are “travellers, not tourists”. I do not mean it in these terms, everyone packs their bags for different reasons, but they all do it because at the end of the day they want an experience. It is not for me to judge or think I am better that anyone else. I just mean touristy as in the expense is great and the business is geared towards the tourist dollar. Yes, it is very busy, but the disappointing thing for me is that when I walk down the street in any of the 5 towns I hear more American accents than anything else. Please don’t get me wrong, it’s not that I am hearing American voices, it’s that I am not hearing Italian ones. When I try to order food in Italian I am replied to in English. I am in Italy to be in Italy, so I guess I’m finding this a little inauthentic; however, I’m sure I’ll be complaining in a few blog’s time when people are being rude to me for not speaking Italian properly! Because of this I’ve really relished all the local moments we’ve come across, watching the town’s children play soccer in the square, shopping in the local ‘punto’ supermarket, an amazing margarita pizza from ‘Mamma Mia’ take-away and watching the owner of our ‘local’ bar (and I promise we do love him for more than his free wifi), Bar Centrale, changing the set up of the bar to create long tables to have a dinner of seafood stew, polenta & bread with 6 of his friends while he’s meant to be working. Again, it’s about the small things.

Local kids playing soccer.

Whilst in Cinque Terre the main focus is on hiking, lookouts, scenery and stairs. We discovered the two walks we came to do were both closed due to landslides. So this called for a change of plans. Another sobering reminder that you can never be sure of anything when you’re travelling! On our first day we explored our base and sat in a bar on the clifftop and ate cheese and drank wine; tough stuff obviously. On our second day caught the train out to Monterosso, hiked up (and back down) a mountain to the ruins of an old church, San Antonio, (track 10) all of the 2ks felt like they were straight up and being the most unfit person alive, I struggled! So many stairs. So, so many, We then caught the train back through the other 3 towns: Vernazza, with it’s beautiful clear water and stony beach; Corniglia, a gorgeous town on top of a cliff that takes 15 minutes to walk to, straight up several hundred stairs; and Manarola, the town with some of the most gorgeous scenery and the most people, on the way back to Riomaggiore. All the villages have a similar look but are distinct enough to capture your attention and stick in the memory as individual towns. On our third day, as if we had forgotten the struggles of the previous day, we climbed more stairs and hiked up another mountain from Riomaggiore to Telegrapho via Madonna di Montenero monastery (track 3), this was a beautiful walk that led us through farm land, terraced gardens, old stone houses, forest and finally to a little cafe with delicious cake on the top of the mountain. If it has cake at the end of it, you know it’s my kind of walk.

Walking to Telegrapho on track 3.

Some places are ‘touristy’ with good reason. The 5 towns of Cinque Terre are deserved of the visitors that flock there. The interesting part is that the 5 villages don’t seem to lose their charm and I’m sure the stunning scenery will mean there will be many, many more visitors to succumb to their many sets of stairs well after we leave.

Venice: where’s the map?

Venice is beguiling, confusing, surreal, intriguing and a little bit smelly.

Piazza San Marco from the terrace of Basilica di San Marco

There were a lot of things I had heard about Venice, but nothing really prepared me for just how interesting it truly is.  The strange blue-green colour of the canals, getting lost with useless maps, beautiful blooming window boxes, makeshift rooftop courtyards, laundry hanging between houses above the water or the street, the piles of rubbish, old grand churches, architecture from centuries ago, mosaics, cobblestone, devotional artwork and yes, even quite an odd smell, captured me after only one jet-lagged afternoon’s walk and intrigued me over the few days we were here. Everything is interesting. Without exception.

The Grand Canal from the Rialto.

The best thing is that despite warnings that it was inevitable, we have not encountered large crowds of people. Piazza San Marco has been the exception, with massive tour groups littering the square, huddled around their guides. Other than that, the streets have been relatively quiet and we were able to walk to the edges of the city and see only a few shuffling old Italian ladies taking the shopping home for dinner, students laughing heartily, workers rushing home and people sitting having an afternoon espresso with their dog sitting proudly on their lap. Walking away from the crowds, nicking down tucked away back alleys and snaking from “campo” to “campo” (squares) through tiny “calles” (streets) helped us avoid the crowds and has let us see the real Venice. We’ve been left staring at our precious map more times than I care to remember, but it is entirely worth it.

Not that we have skipped out on the things that bring people to Venice, the Basilica di San Marco, with amazing domes, mosaics and marble work; The Galleria Dell’Accademia featuring Venetian renaissance devotional art work (ie. lots of paintings of “Madonna con bambino”); The famous bridges like the Rialto and the Ponte dei Sospiri; the island of Murano and of course, lots of amazing churches, with my personal favourite being the facade of the Cheisa San Moise in San Marco and the interior of the Santa Maria Assunta dei Gesuiti. However, I really think my favourite part has been just walking around or catching a vaporetto, (public water bus) getting lost and stumbling across Venetian people going about their lives.

Cheisa San Moise

However, The importance of the tourist dollar is always prevalent, The same man on the corner near our hotel tries to sell me roses every time we walk past, you can hear the gondoliers shouting for your business near every body of water and food is quite pricey in some places. We learned just how expensive on our first night after paying $50 AUD for a cheese pizza to share, bottle of still water and a beer. Call it jet-lag, starvation or just plain stupidity, we will not be doing that again! Hole in the wall places serving large slices of pizza, tiny sweet shops and ‘snack’ cafes are the best bet and amazingly delicious too! I don’t ever want to forget the amazing homemade gelati I had at ‘Il Golosone’. I have never tasted better; but given I am in Italy this is very likely to change!

There has also been an unexpected side to Venice. We visited the Isola Dei Morti and walked around San Michele Cimeterio, got a Peroni at a bar called The Raging Pub, enjoyed a morning at amazing Natural History Museum (which was among one of the best I’d ever been to), ate amazing home made pasta at a sports bar and saw how people function in a city. From the intricate pulley systems they create from 3rd story windows to the street to the rubbish collection, postal delivery and even building work completed on water, I’m intrigued by the Venetian people’s ability to make it work.

The canals.

A wonderful place to begin the journey.