Venice Sunset…the sun has set on Venice for centuries and for centuries she has mesmerized us with her beauty, teased us with her mercurial moods and totally fascinated us…

A picture may well be worth a thousand words, but a thousand pictures aren’t enough to capture la Serenissima.

Proud and self-indulgent, she flaunts her charms, her beauty and even her flaws. She is an unashamed exhibitionist posing for us, eternally admiring herself in the mirror of her reflecting waters.

And for me, she is simply irresistible. It seems that every surface was intended to reveal her ever changing moods…

Strolling through Piazza San Marco, glimmering and glowing in the golden light and walking in the shadow of the Campanile di San Marco chiming jubilantly as lovely serenades float in the air from elegant outdoor cafès, we are under her spell…

The shimmering, glittering golden Basilica di San Marco catches our eye…

Passing the elegant Palazzo Ducale whose delicate pastel pink is highlighted by the delicate glow of the street lamps, Bacino di San Marco is in view.

Here thousands of ships once launched in battle and dominated the seas for centuries.

Now empty gondolas bob gently in their moorings after a long day while their owners pause for a smoke or idle chat.

It’s hard to describe what it’s like to be in a place where everything happens on water. And there’s nothing to compare with seeing and experiencing Venice from the water.

Stepping onto a vaporetto, caressed by the gentle breeze while cruising down the very grand Grand Canal, is indescribable…

But it’s gliding along in a gondola with only the sound of softly lapping and sloshing water against the walls of the once elegant palazzi that evoke nostalgic reminders of her past splendor.

Diva that she is, she remains proud despite her frayed edges and one can’t help but long wistfully for those days of elegance and opulence to return for her.

Splendid, evocative and elusive, for me, Venice is eternally mysterious and enchanting. She captivates and bewitches us, ignites our imagination and romantic fantasies and weaves her magical spell around our heart.

She invites you to lose yourself…literally and figuratively…and just surrender to her charm.

Si, I am enthralled once more…♥ Magical Venice, surely you are the stuff that my dreams are made of. ♥