Bella Veneto

Venice is a beautiful place...

From the buildings...

to the famous clock in St. Mark's Square

The clock on Saint Mark's square is one of the most unique. The carvings round about the face are exquisite but the little men on top who ring the bells have become well known throughout the world.

to the Heraldic lions

The Lions with wingsm known in Venice as the Lions of St. Mark's,  were interesting and they were everywhere...in the architecture, on flags
my nephew's fraternity has a lion mascot so we scoured Venice for a souvenir with a lion for him. His mother, Karen the good, opted for a tie. In addition, a gold and maroon flag featuring a heraldic lion will fly on a certain Oklahoma Lake this summer.

to the Mosaics

Paintings do not fare well in Venice because of the ever present dampness. For this reason, mosaics are prevalent here. As in Rome, where they are considered high art, they are present on buildings and line many walls.
They have stood the test of time, just as the marble and stone flooring.

Venetian Lace

We had talked of going to Burano to watch lace making after we watched a clip from a travel video. Time just did not permit side trips but there were lace shops within Venice so my desire to bring a section of lace home to my baby daughter for her hope chest ( to be used to create a wedding veil someday) was fulfilled.

http://belovedlinens.net/lace/Venetian-lace.html

Night music

The restaurants and cafes in Saint Mark's square feature live music in the evenings. Picture the breeze off the Agean Sea, flags blowing in the breeze from the towers in the distance and orchestras playing, ever so softly. A latte and a sumptuous Italian dessert....

The Florian is about as lovely a place as you can imagine and had the loveliest setting for the partaking of an evening in Venice.

Venetian glass

We did not take a tour to Murano to watch the glassblowers for the reason mentioned above...time was not permitting. Again, the shops in Venice offered enough of a selection to bring home some pieces of jewelry and a few other items to family and friends. Deciding between pizza cutters or bottle stoppers or magnifying glasses took a while for they were all lovely.
Of all the things we saw made of glass, however, my personal favorites were the light fixtures.

Artwork inside the Doge's Palace

The painting of the Doge with Peace and Justice was an especial favorite of mine.
Our guide explained that "Peace has her arm around her sister Justice" an idea which I liked very much.

Even the window displays were pretty in Venice