Fat Thursday in Venice

a Fat Thursday in Venice

I had long dreamed of returning to this magnificent city, and what better occasion than Carnival? the stars of the trip were me and Mum, setting off from my university home in Bologna at 8 in the morning, arriving by train in Venice by 10... so convenient, it goes straight into the centre... coming out of the station I wrestled with my mother who wanted to buy a map... I insisted we go by instinct, because Venice is a city to discover on your own, to get lost in its little alleys....and so we did, but without getting lost, and we follow the smallest streets to reach St Mark's......beautiful Venice, then all the little balconies, the little bridges... in the distance we see the market and we can only immerse ourselves in its beauty... the fish market is truly distinctive. but the fruit and veg one is no slouch either.. We arrive in the square...

I must say I expected more people but that's fine... there aren't many masks... though some are truly beautiful.... the tour guides are protesting against the liberalisation of their profession and they do it artistically.... in the afternoon we visited the Doge's Palace (more than worth it, it's stunning... it takes ages to walk all of it.. well, no wonder at €12 a ticket..), St Mark's and then, exhausted, we return to the station with the sun peeking out from behind the clouds.... a magnificent day.. beautiful Venice.