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Dreams of Venice: One Day in the City on Water
"the city that floats—not just on water, but in memory" — someone
Gathering at the Port
It began with a click...
One rainy evening, sorting through the clutter of old folders on my laptop, I stumbled upon a forgotten file labeled Italy 20.. I opened it—and suddenly, the screen came alive with colors, reflections, narrow streets, and shimmering canals. It was like reopening a dream, one I had almost let fade. A slideshow of memories, and there it was: Venice.
We had only one day and one night in the floating city. It wasn’t part of a grand plan, just a detour, a spontaneous decision in the middle of a beautiful tour across Italy. We had come from Florence by train, and even before we left the platform, Venice had already started working its strange magic. The smell of the sea, the creak of boats against docks, and the shimmer of water underfoot—it felt like stepping into another dimension.
But the city was drowning that day.
"Acqua alta," they said. The high water. A seasonal phenomenon, yet still surprising. Wooden walkways had been erected above the flooded squares and alleys. Everyone walked in single file across the narrow planks—locals in rubber boots, tourists in hotel slippers, and children laughing as they splashed through water that sparkled under streetlamps. It was inconvenient, wet, chaotic—and utterly enchanting.
We quickly learned how difficult it was to find a place to stay. Every hotel we entered was fully booked. The faces behind the counters repeated the same sympathetic phrase in different accents: "No rooms available tonight." We were four people with no place to sleep, tired and damp, wandering deeper into a city that felt increasingly surreal.
But then came luck.
At a small hotel tucked away behind a quiet canal, we met a night porter with kind eyes and a shrug that suggested mischief. After a long pause, he leaned forward and whispered, “I can give you one single room… for the four of you. But only for one night.” We laughed—gratefully, nervously—and agreed on the spot. It was cramped, ridiculous, and perfect.
That night, we wandered through Venice like shadows. The water had receded a little, and the air was filled with reflections: of lamps, of stars, of cathedrals upside down in the canals. Gondolas rested quietly along the docks like sleeping swans. There was music somewhere in the distance—soft, stringed, echoing off stone. In the stillness, the city felt suspended between dream and memory.
The next morning was one of the most beautiful of my life.
The sun rose gently over the Grand Canal, casting golden light across the water. We stood on a quiet bridge, coffee in hand, watching life return to the city. Shopkeepers opened shutters, boats delivered vegetables and wine, and church bells echoed through the maze of streets. Venice was waking up, and so were we—tired but glowing with something more than rest.
We walked slowly that morning, unwilling to leave. Through Piazza San Marco, still damp from the night before. Past the Rialto Market, where early vendors called out cheerfully. And finally to the vaporetto stop, where we stood in silence, waiting for the boat that would take us away.
That afternoon, when the waters calmed a little, we boarded a vaporetto and drifted slowly down the Grand Canal. It felt like gliding through a gallery of time. Palaces leaned over the water, their peeling facades telling stories of centuries. Every few seconds, someone from our group gasped — and then raised their phone or camera. We took photos of windows, reflections, even the gondolier’s hat floating past us.
It turned into a kind of joyful obsession — stopping every five meters to photograph another perfect moment. Venice does that to you. It tempts you into thinking you can trap its beauty in pixels. We knew the photos wouldn't fully capture what we felt, but still, we clicked and clicked — maybe trying to hold on to the dream for just a little longer.
Back on dry land, the day rushed forward, and so did the rest of our trip. But Venice stayed in me. Not like a city I had visited, but like a dream I had once lived. A dream full of water and stone, of laughter in the rain, and strangers sharing one narrow bed. Now, years later, that dream lives again on my screen—pixels and photographs, yes, but also something more. A reminder that the most magical days aren’t always planned, and the best nights sometimes begin with no place to stay.
Venice has a way of finding you when you need it most. And even when you leave, it follows you quietly—in memory, in dreams, in folders forgotten until just the right moment.
That,s all for today.
Stand by
Sincerely yours
