Venice felt like a dream unfolding in slow motion. At dawn, wrapped against the cold, we stood in the deserted St. Mark’s Square for a photoshoot—history whispering through the mist.
Canals were still as mirrors with only the birds to observe.
We learned to make fettucine pasta kneaded by hand and rolled thin enough for light to shine through, layered tiramisu, and understood the secret to the perfect sparkling Select spritz.
On a rainy afternoon, we drifted through the canals in a gondola for over an hour, the city hushed, no commercial boats, no chatter, every ripple echoing against ancient stone, while our loquacious gondolier shared his spirited thoughts on life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness!
Our apartment opened directly onto the Grand Canal, with a dock that touched the water; we cooked dinners from local ingredients from the Rialto markets and ate as boats glided by.
We wandered bridges while eating gelato, laughed over meringues bigger than baseballs, met artists sketching in hidden alleyways, and shaped jewelry from colorful millefiori Murano glass rods.
Every sound—the oar in the water, the church bells, the rain—seemed to belong to us. Venice gave us not just beautiful sights–it gave us stillness for our souls, wonder, and quiet moments stitched forever into memory.
