VENICE, A PLACE TO GET LOST IN

Just a few minutes before landing, I can already see from the plane the canals and the tiny islands dotted throughout the sea like small brushstrokes on a pointillistic painting. Everything is bathed in an orange and magenta lavander-like colour. My face is glued to the window and my eyes wide open, gazing with curiosity at everything. We are about to land and for a few moments the horizon wobbles rapidly, up and down, up and down. When the wheels touch down, the noise of the aircraft as it makes contact with the runway fills my ears like an explosion. I have arrived in Venice.

I catch the bus into the city and, after getting to the bus station, I walk across Constitution Bridge and head towards the accommodation I have booked for the few days of my short stay. I drop off my bag, grab my camera and head out. Stefano, the owner of the flat I am staying in, tells me that the city is built on 117 islands linked by canals and that all the buildings stand on wooden poles that are buried deep in the mud.

I think for a moment of the strong desire for union of the people who did all this connecting up to create a city on water. I am moved by this beautiful wish to link people and places.

ing such beauty. I take in the imposing St Mark’s Basilica, the Doge’s Palace, the seagulls that fly among the pedestrians and the statues, high up.

For four days I wander around the streets, cross bridges and canals, walk up and down steps, travel in vaporettos, eat pizza and pasta, and take in every little detail. I walk for hours with no fixed purpose. Venice is a city that operates on several different levels. The canals form a network for river travel. The bridges for land. There are no traffic lights and no pedestrian crossings. I contemplate the light, the open windows, the washing hanging out to dry, the sculptures on every corner, the skills of the gondoliers as they negotiate their way along the narrow canals. I am amazed by the charm and fragility of this large and very beautiful city on stilts.

I head towards St Mark’s Square. The last time I was here was on a school trip that took us to several European countries by road. I remember getting here and the square was full of people. It was summer, we were eating ice cream and it was so hot that we filled our bottles with water from the fountains and poured it over ourselves to cool our roasting skin.

St Mark’s Square stands in the very heart of Venice but is the city’s lowest point; it gets flooded often, just like my eyes that fill with water now as I take in this feast for the senses. I now see myself back here again in the same place but much later, spinning slowly around and trying to record everything I see. I feel a knot in my stomach at contemplat-

Venice is like the sweet melody of an orchestra in which every member knows their music to perfection. There are no collisions. I am in awe as I stray off the tourist route and make my way into neighbourhoods where all I see are empty alleys and the occasional local person. A warm calm engulfs everything. I walk and walk until dusk. I get lost; I get lost several times every day.

I reflect on all this on the plane on my way back home. I think we need to get lost occasionally, have our doubts, take different paths, fine tune our senses and, if necessary, ask for help to find the way out. There are many ways of getting to where you are trying to go. Venice reminds me of all this. Venice is like a light-filled labyrinth which, for a time, you don’t want to leave.

Getting There

Binter flies direct to Venice from the Canary Islands, with a weekly flight from Gran Canaria on Saturdays. The flight duration is 4:25 h.

WHERE TO STAY:

H10 Palazzo Canova: situated in the very heart of Venice, on the Grand Canal. Just a hundred metres from the Rialto Bridge and ten minutes’ walk from St Mark’s Square.

Hotel Marconi: situated next to the Rialto Bridge, the Hotel Marconi 3* is an elegant historic building that was one of most prestigious of Venice’s few hotels in the 1930s.

WHAT TO EAT:

Venice’s gastronomy is simple, traditional and based on locally-sourced products: fish, seafood, vegetables and meat. Venetian-style cuttlefish with polenta, liver and onions, risi e bisi (rice with peas) and sarde in saor (deep-fried marinated sardines) are just some of the most popular dishes available. If you want to immerse yourself in the local atmosphere, try the ruta delle ombre e dei cicchetti (snacks and wine route) and visit the traditional bacari bars. For dessert, tiramisu or delicious artisanal ice cream.

MUST SEES:

St Mark’s Basilica: a jewel of Byzantine architecture. Venice’s most important church was built in the early 11th century by architects and labourers from Constantinople. Its domes, marble walls and mosaics feature the best examples of latinised Byzantine art anywhere in the world.

St Mark’s Square: «Europe’s most beautiful Drawing Room» according to Napoleon Bonaparte, as well as for the millions of tourists who visit it every year. Historic cafés such as the Florian, underneath the arches, the Correr Museumguardian of the city’s history - and many other treasures to be discovered. Grand Canal: look onto the Grand Canal from the Rialto Bridge, take a trip along it in a gondola or vaporetto, walk across the bridges and admire its bustle and beauty. An absolute must in order to say you have been to Venice.

Venetian Arsenal: a testimony to the naval might of the Venetian Republic, whose advanced system of production placed it ahead of the industrial revolution in time. Currently the home of the Venice Art and Architecture Biennale.

Cannaregio quarter: Venice’s Jewish quarter was Europe’s first and biggest in terms of population. It is one of the most interesting districts to take a walk and discover the local atmosphere. Enjoy the ombre e dei cicchetti going from bar to bar in the Fondamenta Ormesini area.

Venice Carnival: the quintessential fiesta. Every February the city is transformed into the stage for the world’s most elegant and sophisticated Carnival, populated by mysterious characters wearing masks and elegant 17th century costumes. Unforgettable.

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By Julia Laich