They're Heeerrrrrreeeee.....

The next morning, I awoke in a city once again choked by a cloud of fog that only enhanced the sense of mystery, disguise, and deception that so many have experienced in Venice. The benefit of staying in a hotel relatively off the beaten path (if there is such a thing in Italy) was that I was able to see a little bit of the real Venice on a morning walk- vegetables being unloaded off boats and in to store fronts, painters setting up easels in narrow allies, Venetians gassing up their tanks and shipping off to work for the day.

The walk took us on a confusing route to the Arsenal. Once the construction site of the world's greatest Navy, the wide channel now stands empty, surrounded by an imposing military gate that signals the departure of a glorious past yet a triumphant legacy that survives to this day. Passing by the Arsenal's imposing lion statues (again, symbolizing St Mark), the sun began to lift the cloud of fog, unearthing the city from its mysterious cloud. With the rise of the sun came a brightening of the pastel hues that plaster the walls of decaying palaces and marvelous museums. Towards the end of our walk, I noticed that all the tourists were turned in one direction, facing the channel separating Venice from the island of Judeica. Passing through the city was a full size Greek cruise liner. In a city where the largest buildings are barely three stories, this modern day Titanic dwarfed everything and captivated every passer by while it passed beyond the cathedral.







With stops at the famous Rialto Bridge and Pizza San Marco, we wound our way back towards our hotel for a guided visit of the Galleria dell'Academia. Like most buildings in Venice, the Academia has a controversial past because of mass changes wrought by Napoleon. A one time gothic cathedral, the Academia today is a museum of Venice's greatest maters- Titian included. Within every great canvas are the pastel hues and blurry colors that still today define the island and mystify its visitors.


Later that afternoon, we stopped at the Peggy Gugenheim Gallery, one of Italy's most prestigious galleries of modern art. With works by artists from Max Ernst through Jackson Pollack, the Gallery spans the first half of the 20th century, depicting the tattered conscious of artists emerging from World War II and falling further into despair with the rise of Nazism and Fascisim. Conversely, the Gallery shows the promises of modernity. With an exhibit of Italian Futurist art, the Gallery reveals the promises of speed, power, and efficiency. Perhaps the best part of the museum was the large terrace overlooking the Grand Canal, where Peggy Guggenheim once hosted lavish parties for the wealthiest Venetian families. Today, one can look at a statue of an "excited" cowboy on a horse appropriately shaped like a phallus. I'll let you look that one up for yourselves.

Finishing the day with stops at Santa Maria della Salute and a vaporetto ride back to the mainland, we returned to Florence, where my family awaited me in front of Ghiberti's Gates of Paradise. I was so excited to see them that I literally knocked Annie over. That night, we dined at Il Latini, a typical Tuscan restaurant that brings its clients course after course, and bottle of wine after bottle of wine, all at a very reasonable price. Probably my new favorite restaurant in Florence. And did I mention they have giant hams hanging on the ceiling? Returning to a new Villa, I said good night to my new travel companions whose arrival I had so long anticipated- and thus commenced a week mixed with just the right amounts of adventure, sight seeing, chaos, laughter, and enjoyment.





Day 2.