Italy. Venice

  Venice concluded our little Italian journey and rightfully became the true "cherry on top"... The most colorful, romantic, and very unusual city. Many people like to compare various "cities on water" with Venice, but there is only one Venice, and it is unique, no matter how upsetting it might be for the others. We had a fantastic time here, enjoying the incredible photogenicity of the wonder-city, tasting the most delicious Italian gelato, and of course, taking a gondola ride through the narrow canals...

  To reach the central part of the city, Piazza San Marco, we took a water bus. From the very first minute, we were captivated by the unfolding scenery, and time seemed to stop for us. One picture replaced another, gradually exploding our minds with euphoria...       

 

Arriving at the dock near Piazza San Marco, we immediately set out to find a gondolier for a canal journey...

  And here we are in the gondola, ready for the main attraction of Venice - exploring the canals and bridges, swaying in the distinctively curved boat with comfortable chairs...

 

   After the canal journey, we started our walk on dry land... The Doge's Palace...

    Next to the palace was the entrance to St. Mark's Basilica...

 The Campanile di San Marco, St. Mark's Basilica, and the huge square all named after the same saint... 

 From Piazza San Marco, turning into the first alley we came across, we immersed ourselves in the atmosphere of narrow, picturesque streets connected by miniature bridges spanning the city's main arteries - the canals...

While some gondoliers tirelessly ferried tourists, others hid from the sun under umbrellas...

 Returning to Piazza San Marco, we decided to climb the bell tower for a bird's-eye view of the city. Our first attention was drawn to the columns of St. Mark and St. Theodore. On St. Mark's Column stands a bronze statue of a winged lion, the symbol of Venice's power, and later of the Venice Film Festival...

 On the next column stands a sculpture of St. Theodore with a crocodile at his feet - a symbol of Venice's maritime power...

  From the top of the bell tower, the views were simply stunning... The Doge's Palace in all its glory...

   Charming houses with tiled roofs and elegant towers...

 The domes of St. Mark's Basilica...

  The wide waterfront with docks where we arrived by water bus...

  St. Mark's Clock Tower...

  At the top of the clock tower are two bronze statues striking the bell. One depicts an old man, the other a young man, symbolizing the passage of time... 

  Piazza San Marco...

    View of the Grand Canal...

View of San Giorgio Maggiore Island...

 Descending from the bell tower, we continued our photo-walk along the Venetian canals...

Gradually, we reached the Grand Canal and its main and oldest bridge, the Rialto Bridge...

 Here, we bought very delicious Venetian gelato, which we deemed the best we had ever tasted...

   From the Rialto Bridge and the opposite bank of the Grand Canal, the views were simply magical...

 

 Then we returned to Piazza San Marco and walked to the pier for the water bus...

  Taking our seats in the "Venetian bus" and moving away from the central square, we bid farewell to Venice with our eyes, the city that had captured our hearts with its colors...

  

  Passing the Venetian port, we saw several fairly large cruise ships...