Picture a little square

We have been to La Sérenissima, many many times. Though Venice today is not the Venice I first encountered in the 1990's it is still a city that fascinates, though now it is more a relic of what it once was, the current City administration has for several years moved all services to the mainland in Mestre. Venice is more and more devoted to tourism and apartments rented to visitors, hotels have become very expensive and good restaurants are rare. The Venetians are moving out, pushed out by soaring rents and speculation on the various buildings to transform them into luxury hotels. Venice always was a small city and the population was never large. Though today it is considered very small and dwindling further each year. What will become of Venice once most if not all its inhabitants are gone. The various parishes and churches which stood for centuries empty, will they be all museums for tourists to run through them?

I still remember Venice at a time when the daily rituals started at 04:00am with the returning fisherman's, then the fruit and vegetable sellers would arrive and set up stalls on the market square near the Rialto Bridge. There were grocery stores and milk and cheese vendors, bakeries and various other goods on offer. Many countries still maintained Consulates on the Grand Canal.

There are on the net several very nice blogs on Venice and much of the information is quite charming if not  evocative of a time when there were less day trippers and more Venetians.

Here is a photo of the neighbourhood of the old Ghetto of Venice in Canaregio.
I really like it because it shows Venice as peaceful and quiet, just a neighbourhood, you are not likely to see many tourists in that part of town.

Canaregio the old ghetto area, Venice

Café Florian, Piazza San Marco, Venice

Or this photo of a lady with her wire hair Dachshunds enjoying a drink in this old café frequented by Richard Wagner, who died in Venice. How so very civilized.