Palazzo Contarini del Bovolo
This is an interesting little palace that I found; literally “of the snail”. I love the quaint outside staircase winding up to the sky. I got completely lost while looking for it, resulting in an extended tour of the area, but it is such a lovely little building, tucked away in a quiet little square. I believe that it was build in 1499, so I think it is looking pretty good.
If you have the opportunity, visit this little palace off the beaten track.
Venitian Roads and Bridges
You get used to these bridges very quickly; every journey of more than a minute requires walking up and down one of the many pedestrian bridges in Venice.
While there are lots of bridges, everything is so close that the walk is never too far.
This is the view that I saw from our hotel bedroom. Typically Venetian. From time to time, I would hear a Gondolier punting past, singing Italian love songs to his passengers.
St Mark’s Square, Venice
It poured with rain for our first day in Venice, but we were determined to get out and about and explore the city. This shot is of St Mark’s Square, just in front of St Mark’s Basilica. If you look across the square, you will notice a line of people walking on trestle tables. This is because with a high tide and torrential rain, the square was flooded.
But that was not a problem for the resourceful Venetian’s. Almost every road (well pedestrian walkway), had piles of these tables which were simply spread out whenever a region was flooded. As soon as the water subsides, the tables are re-stacked and life goes back to normal.
The Grand Canal, Venice
The Grand Canal in Venice is the easiest way to get around Venice. It basically divides the city down the middle, with most taxi and bus services running on it.
There are only four bridges that you can use to cross the canal, however it is a small city; so you never really find yourself stuck on the wrong side of the canal. Venice is remarkably compact, you can easily cross it on foot in less than an hour, and by using the water-bus (Vaporetti) in about 1/2 hour.
Although it is difficult to get an original shot of the canal that has not been taken 100 times before, it is truly a beautiful location for some great shots.
Temple of Hercules Victor
The Temple of Hercules Victor in Forum Boarium was originally thought to have been a temple of Vesta. Although the temple is in the middle of Rome, the marble used to build the temple was from Athens!
The temple is located in the oldest forum in Rome, as was built around 2BC. Driving past the temple is a little strange, because on the one side you have a wonderful garden, and on the other a large and busy freeway. But then I suppose that can be said about many of the sites and places in Rome, whereby you can drive past an archaeological dig right next to an office building.
In case you are wandering, Hercules was the protector of the olive trade.
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