On the way to Venice, we stopped by the Republic of San Marino for just a couple of hours. San Marino is a small enclave of Italy, the size of a town, that has somehow avoided being annexed by Italy over the years that all of the other small states on this peninsula were. San Marino is something of a tax haven, where Italians (and indeed other foreigners like us) can come for cheaper liquor, cigarettes, and deadly weapons. It was a surreal experience up on the mountain, with many shops closed, very few other visitors, and a thick mist stretching as far as the eye could see giving us the illusion of being alone above the clouds.
Venice is quite pleasant in the wintertime—I had heard stories of how bad the place smells due to the stagnant water in some of the canals, but I think the cool weather probably kept the odours to an acceptable level. For some reason I had initially opted out of the optional gondola ride and dinner, in favour of doing my own thing, but I came to my senses upon arriving in Venice, realising that it isn’t the best place to freestyle. It is a place where you want to do the standard touristy activities like gondola rides, because there isn’t much else to do. After all, it is a bunch of islands and semi-submerged old buildings situated a decent ferry trip from anywhere. It was great fun selecting a range of wines in the town, then cruising around the canals drinking the wine and exchanging cups of it with the other gondolas.
My innate skepticism (not outright rejection, though) of standard touristy activities, combined with my preference for quiet reflection over posing for photographs every 0.1 sec, earned me the title of ‘grinch’ in this city. Kym, I am in your debt—really.
The Piazza di San Marco, featuring the basilica and its campanile, is probably a good candidate for one of those lengthy and expensive restoration efforts I’ve heard so much about. It is a natural meeting place for people and pigeons. Millions and millions of them. Temporary wooden platforms around the place showed that the town was in a state of readiness for an upcoming flood. Or they get flooded all the time, and they are always ready.
Smo