Thinking of Venice, the scene of San Marco square crosses my mind from the movie 'Death in Venice', made in 1971, starring Dirk Bogarde and the beautiful boy played by Bjorn Andreson.
Although a sad story of an older man finding beauty in Venice, augmented by the alluring looks of the young, blonde boy he meets on his visit, the magnificence of the sites of this city was a joy to behold and made me dream of one day, visiting this city.
And there I was with Andrea, approaching the scene, from the front seat of a taxi boat from the airport. We were laid off at San Marco Square and made our way through the crowded, narrow cobbled streets on foot to the Hotel Splendida, by a canal. Thank goodness, it was a mere 15kg of luggage we each had, to be rolled passing by the unbelievable volume of tourists around.
Immediately after checking in, upon the disposal of suitcases, we checked out for a well-recommended glass of Spritz; a mix of prosecco, Campari, and S.Pellegrino with olives and delicious antipasti at Bancogiro's cafe, gazing at the sun going down on camera-equipped tourists passing by in the canal opposite.
The glory of Venice was beginning to sink under our skin. With all the sites to explore, we continued walking and further discovering the splendour of its architecture. Keeping up with the fast pace of my friend, was quite a challenge but it sure kept me fit! More bridges with steps; up and down followed by the turns into the narrow streets, stopovers at some boutiques and taking in the elegance of colourful buildings in photo, brought us back for a quick make-over in our hotel room, only to descend once again for a further map from the concierge to direct us towards dinner at the family-run Al Covo restaurant. Ooooff! I am out of breath writing about it.
At Al Covo, by the recommendation of the owner, we ordered fresh anchovies for starters and for someone who has never liked the taste, it was one of the most heavenly tastes of seafood I have ever encountered.
After dinner, we came across the large posters of Mario Testino's 'Todo o Nada'; 'All or Nothing' photography exhibition, which sadly stated Rome and not Venice!
We strolled around the almost empty square after midnight, with admiration of the elegantly lit buildings.
'Di Che Pasta sei Fatto?' Said the poster... 'Of what pasta are you?'
And on that note, our first day in Venice came to a halt.
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