Oh, yes, Anne. I absolutely agree it was a treasure. However, I also found it almost unbearably sad. There's only a shell of an actual city there. No real industry or jobs other than tourism. It's not a place for people to live and that's heartbreaking after all her centuries of global prominence. I had a daydream that some Venetian billionaire would put out the word that all the world's artists, writers, and musicians would find a home in Venice. Subsidized housing, monthly stipend, the freedom to do their work. The one condition that everyone would have to learn Venetian Italian and the history of the city.

Thanks for reading!