Waterworld

Yep, Venice is just out there floating on the Adriatic Sea.

I was expecting a few canals, then a big land mass, a "joke's over" kind of place.  But the big  (and little) waterways just go on and on.  No cars are allowed in Venezia, and the footpaths here and there are referred to as "earth canals," a term that suggests that ours, in fact, might NOT be the only reality.

Using our day pass we rode the vaporettos up and down the grand canal and out to Murano after dark, which is a whole-nother story. Besides the gondoliers in their edgy black and white t-shirts, we were crowded by a lot of buff men in racing shorts out polling down the canal for exercise.  And, yes, we were impressed.

The Venetian homes, of course, sit right in the water.  No one seems concerned about ants, termites, mold, mildew, or a little dampness in the basement.