Day 10
Rainy Day in Venice
Basilica San Marco
The sky opened up today. Pouring with rain all day. To me, Venice remains beautiful, and the gray skies neutralize the colorful canals and buildings.
We pressed on with rain gear. Visited the Basilica, but they were in the midst of a service, so we went to the museum and loggia, or balcony. The balcony was not too crowded thanks to the rain. It offers views of Piazza San Marco and a close-up of the façade and decorations on the basilica.
Mom, Suzanne, and Dad on the Loggia dei Cavalli at San Marco's Basilica. The numbers behind are a clock, with the hours in Roman numerals and the minutes in Arabic numerals.
The small square which con nests the large one to the water. The two columns hold the Lion of St. Mark and St. Theodore, the city's two patron saints. This was formerly a marketplace, but was also the preferred locale for executions.
The queue to get into the San Marco Basilica.
A parking lot for gondolas, who aren't doing too much business in this rain.
Rain on the water in Venice. A gray day really brings out the colors.
Sunburst
We headed over to the Gallerie dell’Accademia which traces Venetian art from the 14th century. The museum is housed in a former church.
After the museum, we headed back to the hotel to change out of our soaked clothes and talk awhile. Eventually, the skies began to brighten, so we headed out into the piazza. Around 6 o’clock, the skies cleared and the sun burst onto the city. It was magnificent. A gift on our last day. Everything came to life and a rainbow appeared.
We planned to get dinner, but I had to shoot in this light. I was running all over the place shooting many of the same scenes I’d visited previously, but now the light had completely changed. A creative nirvana.
The basilica at St. Mark's square with its eclectic facade.
Sunlight after rain yields great reflections on the Piazza San Marco.
Two of the domes from the Basilica San Marco with its eclectic facade.
A colonnade at the Palazzo Ducale, beside the basilica on St. Mark's Square.
The piazza under a burst of sunlight after days of rain.
Caught this reflection of the Doge's Palace in a flash of sunshine late on our last day in Venice.
The gable of the basilica with St. Mark, his symbolic winged lion, and accompanying angles.
A reflection of the Basilica San Marco.
A magical dinner
After the light receded for the day, we went to find the restaurant for dinner. Alla Rivetta hangs on the edge of a canal, their door is even somewhat blocked by a canal bridge. It is a low-key atmosphere with great food. We arrived and glasses of prosecco were shoved in our faces. The restaurant is all communal tables, and we secured one before long.
The food was simple and excellent—the Italian way. We kept the prosecco flowing and we all got lost in the meal. For this evening, each of us seemed to forgot everything else and we found ourselves in the moment and undistracted. It was a magical evening and turned into one of these four-hour meals. We kept ordering food and wine and met some of our neighbors as people came and went beside us. We even shared some wine with one of our neighbors who was eating alone.
It was an evening that none of us will ever forget.
This was the best meal of the trip, with great food, jugs of prosecco, and good neighbors at our communal table. A magical evening.
I ventured out after dinner for a bit, but I was a bit tired and full of prosecco, so I turned in early tonight.
A group shot on our last evening in Venice.
A perfect reflection in the still floodwaters of the Piazza San Marco in Venice.