For centuries Venetians and visitor alike have been spellbound by Venice, the most breathtakingly beautiful and extraordinary city, equal parts stone and water, a floating city laid out on 200 tiny islands with ,,the sea for its floor, the sky for its roof, and the flow of water for walls’’.

Even thought it has been painted, photographed, written about and filmed more than any other city in the world, nothing can prepare you for the first powerful impact of Venice – like the gondola down the Grand Canal when the city envelopes the mists of winter, or when the setting of the summer sun bathes the city in the magical pinks, blues and gold so beloved by artists such as Titian, Veronese and Canaletto, but more than ever your first impressions will be memorable and guaranteed.

Few cities can offer such artistic richness as Venice. For many centuries, as the gateway to the Orient and under the medieval leadership of the Doges, the city ruled as a world capital and a mighty sea power, and its immense wealth, art and architecture remained celebrated throughout the city. Today, with the glories of this heritage evident at every turn, you could easily mistake, Venice for a painting come alive, a stage set full of real people, an open –air museum.

Venice is no museum, but rather a living and fragile city, a miracle of survival despite its decaying foundations, the encroaching water and rising silt. Although, contrary to popular belief, it is officially ‘’no longer sinking”, its ominously tilting bell-towers stand as testimony to the city’s ephemerality, as concerns mount about increasing levels of pollution from nearby industrial towns, which are irreparably corroding the city’s ancient stonework. This is to say nothing of the rapidly dwindling population, as modern houses, jobs, plans for a metro and other attempts to preserve Venice for the Venetians clash with those aimed at preserving the city for posterity.

When we leave Venice, our memories will not only be Venetian beauty and art treasures, but also of the city life, pasta alfresco in a peaceful sun-splashed piazza, the gentle swaying of gondolas tied to gaily striped mooring poles, the sights of local markets, buildings reflected in the still water of the canals, shop windows brimming with Carnival masks and dazzling glass displays, or even St. Mark’s Square flooded on a high tide. For this is the magic of Venice, which entices devoted visitors back year after year to the most serene, and captivating, city in the world.