Sestière di Dorsoduro

6.30pm we are at our meeting point, 'The Accademia of art' for our tour tonight called 'Hidden Venice' by Dark Rome Tours.

Martina is our guide and she is gorgeous and bubbly.

I am looking forward to this as it will occupy my mind which is sick with grief.

We walk through a quiet part of the city and it is peaceful.

Now I type as I walk and listen-

Venice is in a lagoon, the grand canal is the main highway.

There is only one piazza - St Marco, all other squares are called 'campiello' meaning field, because they were originally covered in grass

They are forever fighting a battle for the survival of the city re sinking. The islands originated from needing protection via the water from barbarian invasions.
They filled in the lagoon with wood and seeds and anything they could.

Prosecco is the wine they drink at 6.00pm. They eat 'chickpetti' and fish - nibbles. Only children are allowed to ride bikes here up to the age of 11. Adults get a fine.

We pass an old wooden building where the Gondola repairs and building occurs. Each person owns their gondola. They need to strong to steer and propel with one oar.

11 metres long, 50 different types of wood in the making of a gondala to make it flexible.
50,000euros to have one made. 300,000 for the licence. It is a privileged career. Over 400 hours of study. Only 350 gondoliers licenced in city. It is passed down through the generations to the males. They have only one female who stands in for others.

The production of oil, ie factories, is off the island.
Tourism is the only industry.

Giudecca, is the island over from us. I thought it was Lido!! Where the film festival is currently being held.
Lido is the strip of land 11 km long btn the Adriatic and the lagoon. A sandbar. It is far off. Damn.

For their justice system, people could put scrolls with 2 witness names into a sculptured lions mouth on a doorway to denounce a criminal.

A 'Fundamental' is a street with the water at the side.

Many passages.
Low buildings, the highest is 9 floors,

The plague killed thousands.

Very quiet and safe in the paths around Venice. Minimum crimes. As no where to escape.

Walking is the fastest way around. No cars. 30 mins walk from one side to the other.

The foundation is on mud, sand, wooden slats, it was built up. The wood petrified with the salt.

The walls of all buildings are made with iron bars for stability.

We walked to see St Marco from across the water. The lights are coming on all around us. With a pink sunset. The air is warm and the light everywhere is amazing, like a soft glow.

We hop on for our gondola ride, which is quiet and slow amidst the lapping water.

It drops us to the other side and the tour is over, we walked back to our hotel. Watched a movie called 'McFarland USA' with Kevin costner dubbed in Italian. I get the gist.

I have no appetite and not much sleep for me.Read more