WAITING FOR THE DAY …
If there is one place on the planet that I want to return to the most, it is Venice. Why? I love water, and Venice is a city on the water; you can see water everywhere.
I am eagerly waiting for the travel conditions to be clearly defined. But everything can change very quickly, in the blink of an eye.
A Visit from Long Ago
Having visited Venice over 20 years ago, I “slowed down” in the city considered the most romantic in the world.
Venice is truly impressive: you can sit and look out at the sea, the beautiful canals, the streets, the palaces, and the churches. A unique city in the world that occupies multiple islands. However, what truly caught my attention was the silence. No motor vehicles are allowed to run within the city.
Each city has its famous neighborhoods or monuments; Venice has quite a few. Especially on the most important island of the lagoon – San Marco – where Saint Mark’s Square is located.
This square is the most famous place in Venice. In the center of the square is St. Mark’s Basilica, with its golden statues—rumored to be real gold—exquisitely carved, along with its pink and white bell tower.
It’s a beautiful square, you have to take out your camera or smartphone to take pictures. The only problem: too many tourists! Before the pandemic, Venice welcomed around twenty million tourists from all over the world each year!
Many people bring their children, so it’s not easy to find a clear moment to take beautiful photos. To take beautiful photos, you have to wake up early—when there aren’t many visitors yet—or wait until late afternoon—after they have left!
Those days, when I went to Venice, I decided to stay right in the city center, so there were more options, and the room prices were reasonable because tourists hadn’t flocked there as they did in the years after and before the Covid-19 pandemic.
They came to Venice like a flood
Fortunately, back then, the weather in Venice was wonderful: the sun shone on the canals, on the ancient buildings…
“I don’t like Venice at all… because it’s too crowded!” An American sitting next to me on a flight from Paris to San Francisco mentioned that to me while we were chatting. Clearly, he belongs to the 0.99% of tourists who don’t like Venice. This is quite logical. In the summer – from June to September – every day, the small city of Venice with its 60,000 residents is invaded by tens of thousands of tourists. The narrow streets become too crowded and stifling; visitors will feel like they are suffocating in the smoke and dust of a fire.
However, if you skip Venice out of fear of the crowds, it would be a big mistake. Because in Venice, there are always moments of peace and tranquility. But how can one fully and comfortably enjoy Venice?
