La Serenissima

Earlier this month I returned to one of my favourite cities - Venice. A few photos of the trip can be found on MyPeripateticLife  photoblogroll.  

We stayed on the top floor of an apartment building, just east of St Mark's Square. The terracotta roofs filled with make-shift balcony gardens spanned as far as the my eye could see, only intercepted by the occasional bird and worn bell tower. 

Terracotta Rooftops from the apartment window 

Smells; cooking oils, herbs, noises, calls, church bells and sunlight created an aroma of serenity. I was in La Serenissima - the most serene state of Italy, otherwise known as Venice. 

Venice is the ultimate city to walk in. I walked down the Fondamenta Minotto, sketched a boat. I went to the Giardani Pappadoroli, visited San Giacomo dell' Ora, Frari, San Rocco, bartered in the Rialto market. 

Campo Santi Giovanni E Paolo 

The Campo S.Giacomo Da L'Orio was a delight to stumble up - a pocket park in the middle of Venice whilst the Campo S.Giovanni E Paolo was the perfect location to people watch, framed by a bridge and the basilica, its namesake. 

On Wednesday we went to Vicenza. Every time I cross a bridge in Venice, the sun beating down, the canals a murky aquamarine with texture like a Canelleto painting - I think; "to live somewhere that gives you so much please...." I though that about the place. In Vicenza, or just outside, we visited La Rotunda, and I thought it there too, but actually about the villa itself. Palladio's masterpiece was recently bought and restored by a wealthy American. I am not envious though, I am just glad someone appreciates it every single day. 

Piazza dei Signori, Vicenza 

They say Venice is two maps layered upon one another. That is what it is like - history saturated in twists and turns. When I walk around Venice, I always appreciate it for its present. But. I never think of it without, in the back of my mind, in some small way, it's history. 

The streets are always full of myself, the walker, the dreamer and the Venetian in Prada or Gucci, the Venetian in full swing with their shopping back from the Rialto and the teams of souls from every corner of the globe. Those that have had the pure pleasure to immerse themselves in La Serenissima since its foundation. 

Couples in St Mark's Square