The best part of a place like Venice is that even the most mundane item carries an oddly more significant weight in or near the canals. 

Larger version here: In Case of Rain

The Campanile di San Marco on the Piazza San Marco in Venezia, Italia. Getting a shot of anything in this square that isn't loaded with tourists during the day is nearly impossible, and if you get in nice and close on the larger version, you can see throngs hanging out of the tower windows, but still, you can imagine it empty, can't you?

Sorry for the delay in posting. Technical difficulties cut me off from posting yesterday, so you get a double-header, in effect, for today. Enjoy!

Larger version here: The Lurking Storm

I'm not going to lie, the canals of Venice are pretty spectacular. Now, I realize it's a gigantic floating tourist trap these days, at least between 7 a.m. and 7 p.m. or so. However, there's obviously something there of real value for that many millions of people to visit each year. It's not a fabricated environment in the sense of an amusement park (although, it is, of course, completely fabricated on what is really not even land at all), despite being co-opted for the sake of tourism, which ultimately pays all the bills for the fine residents of this sinking city. Is a cheesy/iconic gondola ride worth the 20 Euro? Probably. Especially on the off season when you actually get views of empty canals and a few moments of calm and quiet. 

Larger version here: Afloat Upon the Ages

Stoic, stalwart and steadfast. For year upon year, this fellow has looked out over Venice, guarding and guiding.

Larger version here: Pride and Prejudice

The back alleys of Venice are, of course, the backwaters, but they're only backwaters in the best sense of the word. Ciao, Italia!

Larger version here: Askew and Away

The herds of tourists (not travelers) that get shuttled into Venice each morning are legion. It's astounding, even during the offseason. Having been one of those daytime visitors, I can tell you, it's a cattle call. The real Venice doesn't exist until after the last tourist water taxi bubbles off to the bus parking lot, I'm told. I'd like to see that one, instead. It's an Italian Disneyland during the day—garish and commercial, unreal and unabashed—because visitors are the lifeblood of the city, so you might as well embrace that which you must be ... or perish. I look forward to someday enjoying the traveler's Venice, Venezia. As Rick Steves loves to point out, "Be a traveler, not a tourist."

Larger version here: Ship of Fools