Venice in Winter

"La Serenissima", the most serene one, as Venice is known. The most beautiful city in the world. It's true, that once you have been, you will always want to go back. You seem to leave a small piece of your heart behind every time you visit, that's definitely true in my case.

I remember the last time I was there, it was purely by accident. I'd had an invite to go to Rimini to stay with an Italian lady who lived there(I'd met her a few months before in Mexico, but that's for another time!),but Rimini airport closes in the winter and with it being January the nearest airport was Venice. The plan was to fly to Marco Polo and then get the train to Bologna, then on to Rimini, also by train.

So I managed to organise some free time and figured out that it would take me a day and a half to get to Rimini.

Well I got to Venice station and gazed out over the Grand Canal. I couldn't believe my eye's. I was mesmerized. How striking Venice looked. All covered in a fine layer of snow,with the lights glistening on the water, so sharp and clear. I'd never seen anything more fairytale in my life

So, after getting my breath back, I quite easily found myself a cheap room(a bonus of going at this time of the year). I went for a stroll. I have to say, that evening was one of the greatest highlights of my life. So much so, I ended up staying another night!

Gone now were all the memories of hot,sweaty, mosquito bitten nights, and overcrowded narrow alleyways. Don't get me wrong, Venice is magnificent at any time of the year, but it becomes something entirely different, wondrous even, in the dead of winter. I will never, ever, forget the sight of Saint Marks Square in the early hours, with the glow of a full moon rebounding off the freshly fallen snow. Absolutely stunning!

Well you can imagine, Rimini was a bit of a let down after that, in more ways than one. But being a true gentleman, that's between me and the bedpost!

I managed to do the same thing on the way back, staying at the exact same hotel, in the exact same room. I even managed to catch the same view of Saint Marks Square,though not quite a full moon this time, and the snow had turned to slush.

I honestly can't recommend "La Serenissima" enough. I was there by myself, but I can imagine what it would be like with someone you really loved. Maybe if I had arranged to meet my little Italian friend in Venice instead of Rimini, things might just have turned out somewhat differently. Ciao!