Venice, the most romantic city in the world

Photos by: Vicki and Manfred

Poets, philosophers and millions of authors have written books about Venice but I don’t think I’ll ever find the right words to describe the mystery, the magic, the excitement, the fairytale romance that exists in this little island sitting in the gulf of the Adrian Sea in Italy. This is a special place in the world.  I haven’t traveled the world over, but I’ve seen enough to know that Venice is my favorite city in the world!

Dolce Palace lined with gondolas

The Bridge of Sighs

Vicki on St. Marco’s Square

Rialto Bridge

On our honeymoon trip

Manfred on St. Marco’s Square

Venice at Carnival Time

“The last ten minutes of our ferry ride, we glared out the windows waiting for the Dolce Palace with its one of a kind lacy architecture to slowly come into view like a mirage afloat. As we approached, the masses of people in sight converted from ants to human size; and my heartbeat intensified. The pulse of Venice seemed to be the crowds going here and there like busy insects, the sounds of excited voices in the air, but in spite of all the festivity there seemed to be a certain amount of controlled harmony in the whole scene. Huge crowds on the Bridge of Sighs moving up and down the bridge like a sea of people flowing in constant rhythm. Once the gondolas at the island’s edge became visible, swishing back and forth with the waves created by our ship and the wooden posts erected in the water like toothpicks, I felt like I was about to greet an old friend. Venice!” (Vicki)

St. Marco’s Square

“The feeling on St. Marco’s Place is so unique. The first time I stood there I felt the magic by feeding the pigeons corn kernels which we bought at a little mobile stand for 5,000 Lire (around $1.00) and watched them flock around me then fly off all together if something disturbed them. Some land on your head, some on your arm if it’s stretched out. It’s a feeling of being free; a feeling of being in a special place in the world and just wanting to soak it in like the sun’s rays.  It’s like you want to twirl around in little circles and open your arms out wide like in the movies to show your happiness. Well, I held myself back from doing this, but the thought crossed my mind. If I’d had a glass of Bardolino first I may have just done it. The magic happens around you and you just blend into the scene”. Vicki)

The Magic Spell of the Bridge of Sighs

“Although I think the Bridge of Sighs is beautiful and the glance into the canal is somehow magical; it still seems dark and haunted like a dungeon. Each time I stand on the bridge overlooking this archway and stare into its facade, It conjures up scenes of its dark past in my imagination. I seem to feel the spirits of those past prisoners who were condemned to death in its chambers. The echoes of their moaning roars through the canal and I am totally swept away with this sentiment”. (Vicki)

Manfred

Manfred has snapped enough postcard photos of me in Venice over the years. Anyone can be a photographer in this city. Every nook and cranny has a perfect background for the perfect shot. A photographer’s paradise!

Click Photo for more Carnival Photos

Carnival in Venice is just the icing on the cake; another reason to visit the romantic city in the cold month of February. 

Back to Travel