(We ate and ate, like hungry caterpillars here - and why not? We must have had some of the most delicious Italian pasta ever. Here at Osteria Calle 21 and Trattoria alla Rivetta near the Bridge of Sighs, we had our seafood pasta, squid-ink pasta, grilled vegetables and tiramisu like the world was going to collapse tomorrow. Rivetta was kinda unique - all the waiters must have been well over 70yrs old - but they moved like gazzelles!)
(The Campanile Bell Tower from the top - the views of Venice are simply breathtaking! We queued up early and by 9.40am, we were given a visual treat of Venice like never before. This 15th century bell tower actually collapsed but was rebuilt in 1912 like it is now. Seeing the 2 prominent churches - Chiesa San Giorgio Maggiore and Basilica Santa Maria della Salute - from up here, what sights indeed)
(Everybody comes to Venice to be here - to stand in the middle of the Piazza San Marco and to see the Basilica. All the major flooding here that was reported just 2 weeks ago, with many lives lost, was swiftly forgotten, as the piazza was buzzing with tourists everywhere. The queues to get into the Basilica remained as long as we remembered it, but once inside, it is a gem of a cathedral. And the area around this piazza is simply a celebration to be - the gondolas by the bay, the churches across the bay - magnificent views!)
(This bridge is for prisoners moving from the Palazzo Ducale courthouse to their jail, but has become a crowd favourite here in Venice - the 'sigh' is supposedly from these prisoners sighing, as they realised they will be missing the beauty of Venice on their way to jail. Once here, you can understand why - the shades of grey, the reflection from the canal water and of course, the busy gondolas starting their 80euro trips to the inner canals)
