Polaroid of the week: Charmed by Venice

Last Updated on October 9, 2024

Venice was the last stop on my little tour of northern Italy, and it is safe to say that I picked the perfect place for a truly grand finale.

My last visit to Venice was way before the era of digital cameras, and so I was dying to go out with my dSLR camera to photograph the city which is without a doubt one of the most photogenic cities in the world, and I had two amazing days in the lagoon city – definitely a highlight of my September travels.

Of course it’s impossible for me to share only one photo of my time in Venice, so expect a big photo essay which will show you more of my days which were spent walking along the canals, heading up on top of St Mark’s Campanile (bell tower) to enjoy the views, braving the tourist hordes around Piazza San Marcos, enjoying spritzes (the aperitivo Venice is famous for) and enjoying the peace and quiet of the little squares and narrow streets once you cross the Grand Canal and enter the less touristy parts of the city.

Yes, Venice has become considerably busier since the last time I visited, especially considering I arrived on a Monday in late September, when most cruise ships have already stopped their Med cruise summer terms. I didn’t want to think about how crowded the city must be during high season and remembered an article I had read a few years ago about Venice not being able with the amount of visitors anymore, especially since the number of cruise ships that dock in Venice every day had gotten out of control, spitting out 30,000 tourists every single day.

But it wasn’t difficult to escape the crowds and I loved rediscovering the magic of Venice – the narrow canals, the gondola singers, the countless bridges, the historic buildings and remarkable churches. Venice is one of those places I don’t think I’ll ever get tired of returning to – even though the city has changed so little over the centuries. But that’s what I find so enchanting: that most of the buildings have been around for over 600 years, and that walking through the city at night,when I had most of the city to myself, must have not felt much different from what it feels like now.