Exploring the Enchantment of Venice, Italy

One of my favorite travel destinations is Venice, Italy. My first exploration of this hidden gem was when I was a child. I remember walking through the maze of streets on the wet textured stones and feeling transported back to ancient times. Most notably, even though I was a child, I could appreciate the wood benches, pigeons flying around so reminiscent of my home in New York City, and the gondoliers serenading crowds of tourists to ride with them.

Many years later, I traveled back with my young family and watched their innocent eyes in awe of the majestic city built on artificial islands. Most importantly, I was thrilled that I had my camera in hand this time to capture the secrets of Venice. Finally, it was my chance to showcase my photography skills in a breathtaking photo essay.

At first, I only wanted to photograph the sunsets that would cast their veil on the old city. With skies that looked like oil paintings, oranges, and splashes of pink with slivers of yellow, each sunset was like a masterpiece painting, and I got the chance to photograph it.

The photographer in me wanted to tell a story of Venice’s uniqueness, with their repetitions and patterns, showing how daily life is so different from our own, the contrast between the romance and the touristy hot spot.

We visited all the famous landmarks, from the Rialto Bridge to the bustling Grand Canal, the modern Peggy Guggenheim Museum, and St. Mark’s Basilica (Basilica di San Marco). We island-hopped around the famous Burano and Murano to see the intricate lace and colorful glass blowing.

As for my photos, my goals were to capture the contrast between the vibrant, colorful, beautiful buildings and the dark, polluted Venetian Lagoon that was so pea-green.

The sharp, trashy scent invaded my nose almost every time I walked by the water’s edge. It brought me back to how the Venetians use their waterways to dump their garbage. Even when I was far enough away from the water, the sultry breeze carried the sewage scent, which was not pleasant.

Yet, it didn’t dampen my love for Venice. It only added to the city’s uniqueness; being supported by wood and water is a marvel. Engineering using wooden piles driven deep into the marshy ground to provide support, followed by using stones and bricks to construct the city, is quite impressive.

It’s what drove me to photograph the enchantment of Venice. Not only did I want to showcase how nature and man blended together in this picturesque city, I wanted to give breath to life in my photos.

As a nature photographer, it was delightful to see birds hanging out on famous statues, to catch them hanging around the lunch table, and also to capture the delicious mouth-watering leftover food, to being perched on nautical rope fences. Along with the flowers, so vibrant and ethereal, intertwined with the architecture. It was an exquisite blend of the botanical life that’s so alive in ancient times of Venice’s history.

If you are a foodie, this is the place to visit. We dined on spicy Italian meats, pasta, and bread. It is a place where you can never get enough food. The restaurants offer a dining experience that is never rushed and can be shared with family and friends. Also, I recommend Harry’s Bar. It is a timeless, elegant experience, and they have the best homemade pasta and the birthplace of the world-famous Bellini drink. The Bellini drink is, it blends Prosecco sparkling wine and peach nectar.

Above all, the architecture of the Renaissance, stucco, and cool luxurious marble always left us in awe. The total experience was a romantic Venetian immersion. It made me want to go home and watercolor a mosaic as beautiful and as vibrant as one of the Byzantine mosaics that adorned Saint Mark’s Basilica.

If you ever get the chance to visit Venice, then take it. Transport yourself back to the day when life seems simple with alluring and beautiful woven in. With the disturbing reality that Venice is being swallowed by the rising seas, a casualty of global warming. Even though reports guess this will happen by 2100, it’s a tragedy that such an enchanting city will struggle to keep its history alive until the end of time.

To see more photography from this trip, please visit my youtube photo essay.

This was originally posted on Medium.