Venice, why?

Venice, what else is new to report about it?

After all, the lagoon city offers a perfect backdrop for many great stories: Casanova, the plague, Visconti, carnival, Marchesa Luisa Casati and, most recently, mass tourism and rising sea levels. It is difficult to weave a new anecdote about Venice.

And yet a visit is always fascinating, the endless maze of alleys, the picturesque views, canals and bridges, crumbling facades and palaces, gondoliers and the view of the lagoon.

Only the tourists and the changeable weather didn't really fit into the picture on this Easter Sunday. It was also surprising that seagulls had long since conquered air supremacy over St. Mark's Square. The pigeons were clearly in the minority.

A completely new phenomenon were the numerous dogs of all shapes and sizes, always well-groomed and on a leash, being led through the streets of Venice. Perhaps it was due to the many campsites on the mainland, which at this time of year attracted mainly motorhome owners. After all, this type of travel is ideal for taking your beloved four-legged friends outside of their familiar territory.

I particularly like the way a dog looks at Venice. Even drizzle looks beautiful in black and white. The city is certainly reminiscent of a Nouvelle Vague film: melancholic faces, cigarette smoke, the grey sky reflecting the emotional state of the protagonists, deserted and empty people. With the gaze of a dog, my Venice photos suddenly had to be evaluated in a completely new way. Black and white profundity instead of brightly coloured reproductions of the same old motifs.

Side note: On my third visit to Venice (1999, 2016) St. Mark's Basilica remained closed to me, this time because of Easter.

Besides, the painter Titian is buried in Venice. And I always thought he was Spanish.