Pictures cannot prepare you for it's beauty and charm.
This unique city is a maze of waterways, walkways
narrow streets and small squares. It is a city built on water.
The buildings are supported by millions of poles driven
into the marshy sediment. Due to the many canals, no
matter where you go, you must cross bridges that have
from 10 to 200 steps. No vehicles are permitted in the
city, thus walking or taking the "Vaporetto"(water bus)
is the only means of getting around.

We stayed at the Hotel Europa & Regina with it's old
world charm, elegant rooms, beautiful garden court yards
and impeccable service.

We boarded a gondola and went down the Grand Canal,
the city's main thoroughfare. We passed Gothic-Renaissance
palaces, churches on mud banks, went through the narrow
canals and saw the Bridge of Sighs, a stone bridge built in
the 17th century, connecting the Doge's Palace with the old
prisons. It was named after the despair of prisons who were
led across to be executed.

We took a motor launch to St. Marks's Square, which is
the largest open area in Venice, surrounded by elegant
cafes, art, clothing and jewelry shops and pigeons!!
We sat outside a coffee house and listened to the
musicians play. There is always so much going on in the
Square. We strolled the cobblestone streets of the old city and
stopped at the Murano glass factory. We watched a demonstration
of the Venetian art of glass blowing. It was fascinating.
After we went into the showroom and I purchased a few
unique pieces of jewelry made there. Their work is truely an art.

We went to the Basilica di San Marco (St. Mark's Cathedral)
a masterpiece of Byzantine architecture .. with it's mosaics,
precious art and rare marble .. the bell tower and the
15th century clock tower. We walked to the 14th century
Doge's Palace, which was the residence of the Doges and
the seat of government. We climbed the golden staircase
and entered the grand Council Chamber and saw the
paintings of Tintoretto and Veronese. Beyond Venice are
three islands .. Murano, the island of Venetian glass-
making since the 13th century, Burano a colorful fishing
village and Torcello, which is almost deserted but has a
few shops and several restaurants.

We walked on many of the cobblestone streets taking in the
beauty of this magnificent city called Venezia!!!