Venice, Italy the Wonderful Place

No city is more romantic than Venice, and no sight more essentially Venetian than gondolas bobbing on a misty Molo, the waterfront where the Piazza San Marco meets the lagoon. In the very early morning the square is quiet, with only a few commuters disturbing the handful of pigeons that strut imperiously on its worn flagstones. Soon the place will be thronged with both tourists and birds, but for now you can be virtually alone.

Piazza San Marco has been at the centre of the city since it was first constructed in the 16th century, aLthough some of the buiLdings around it date from much earlier. At one end lies the Basilica di San Marco, construction of which began almost 1000 years ago. Squat and strangely shaped, its domed roof looks more Islamic than Christian when seen from the soaring heights of the adjacent campanile, or bell tower. At sunset the façade of the basilica seems to come alive as the mosaics, and even the stone itself, glow in the warm evening light.

Stretching from San Marco down to the waterfront is the Gothic white edifice of the Palazzo Ducale, or Doge's Palace. The doges · ruled the city from AD 697 until Napoleon's troops deposed the last of them in 1797. Although peppered with moralistic statues and carvings that depict such things as the fall of Adam and Eve, and a drunken Noah, the palace is best appreciated from afar, as it would have been by visitors arriving by sea in the days of the doges. Seen from a boat on the lagoon. or even from the top of the campanile on the island of San Giorgio, the façade combines elegance with a feeling of fantasy.

If the doges wished to portray an impression of piety with the outside of their palace, the inside shows a much more worldly extravagance. Room after room is decorated with the finest gilding and paintings, including works by Titian and Tintoretto. The doges were responsible for the judicial side of Venetian life, and many condemned people were led across the two-lane Bridge of Sighs to the prisons opposite.

Although not, strictly speaking, connected to the Piazza San Marco, the Grand Canal is linked with it. A lazy, sweeping 'S' shape, it cuts through the city, defining it almost as much as the piazza does. The end of the canal opens into the lagoon where it meets the piazza, and the waterfront here is lined with the ubiquitous gondolas.

As all roads in Venice seem to lead to Piazza San Marco – virtually every street or alley junction has a signpost pointing in that direction - so all canals seem to lead to the Grand Canal. Now used mainly by tourists, gondolas still glide past the palazzos that line its sides.

Venice can be cold and damp during the winter, but this is a perfect time to visit. There are far fewer visitors, hotel prices are lower and, if you are lucky, you might even be there when the water floods Piazza San Marco, forcing locals and tourists on to raised walkways to keep their feet dry. Even in the winter you can experience blue skies and amazingly clear light.

A perfect winter day in Venice has to end with a warming hot chocolate or a typically Venetian spritz cocktail (white wine, lemon peel, a bitter aperitif and seltzer) at Caffe Florian. Founded in 1720, this elegant café, once patronized by Byron and Goethe is decorated with mirrors and murals cracked by years of damp sea air.

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From Marco Polo airport you can catch a vaporetto (water bus) or water taxi that drops you off at the Molo. Accommodation is expensive and can be hard to find in the peak summer months. The industrial town of Mestre is a short train ride away and offers cheaper options. A network of vaporetti ply the main canals and are a good way to get around. Otherwise, just walk and enjoy the experience of getting lost.