The Magical Air of Venice

When we reached Verona after five days spent in the leisurely air of Venice, a slight shock awaited... the smell of petrol. This was the first time I had been away from traffic for years and, apart from motor boats, there were no engines belching out fumes along the canals.







There are about 400 bridges in Venice. I had the sensation of having discovered most of them and the blurred impression of the sudden views they afford continues to rise and fall in my memory.

Henry James in "Italian Hours" has mixed feelings about "the most melancholy of cities" but he fell, as most visitors do, under its seductive spell.

"... and finally a soft sense of possession grows up and your visit becomes a perpetual love affair."