It’s almost begun. Many of us have already arrived in Venice in the last day of two with others joining us daily.

The Lido

We are centred around the Villa Laguna on the Lido  an 11-kilometre-long (7-mile) sandbar, just a quick water taxi ride from Venice. As a breakwater, the Lido helps protect the city but in 1202, at the beginning of the Fourth Crusade, it was used as a camp by tens of thousands of crusaders, who were blockaded there by the Venetians when they could not pay for the Venetian ships they needed for transport. Today it is home to about 20,000 far more friendly and accomodating residents.

The view from the breakfast room at Villa Laguna, a carefully restored Habsburg mansion dating back to the beginning of last century; It is situated a few steps from the Lido water-bus station and faces the heart of Venice, Saint Mark’s Square. By the photos on the wall this place seems to have had some very famous visitors pop by… Dame Judy Dench, William Defoe, John Malkovich, Ranulph Fiennes, Dakota Johnson and Tilda Swinton to name a few.

Venice.

I managed two spend a few hours in Venice and got myself wonderfully lost in the backstreets of the city, away from the crowds.

     

     

Apparently it is pretty expensive to go for a gondola ride, but the canals are so beautiful and romantic, I reckon It would be worth it.

Venice is famous for it masks, but apparently you have to be careful when purchasing as many of them are made in China!

Piazza San Marco is the heart of Venice. Napoleon was so taken by the beauty of the architecture, he called it “the drawing room of Europe.”

On the Grand Canal…

The Rialto Bridge

Sunset from the Lido…