Venetian Pauses

Venice is possessed of so surreal a beauty that the visitor feels inclined to ramble, lost and rapturous, through its winding streets from early morning until well after dark. But it is only when you pause, on a bridge, a street corner, church steps, or some other place not meant for stopping, that you truly absorb the atmosphere of the place. These moments are for enjoying the pale grey morning light, the languid heat of the afternoon, or the glint of the sunset on a gilded palazzo. These are times to lie down on a cool marble floor to better see the antique fresco on an ancient ceiling, or to listen to the sound of water lapping against stone.