I took an early but sparsely populated flight from Zurich to Venice this morning, and then a water taxi from the airport to the Piazza di San Marco, the heart of the city. My hotel though a bit hard to find, is just 50 meters from the plaza itself. Fortunately, the room was ready for my early check-in.
Arriving at San Marco by vaporetto (the Italian for "water bus") I was struck how the modern city seems relatively unchanged from all the images of Venice I've seen in classical art. Compare the contemporary photo above with the painting below--mindful of its older boats and the slightly different angle--and you'll see what I mean.
