About Venice

The profession of gondolier is controlled by a guild,

which issues a limited number of licenses

granted after periods of training and apprenticeship,

and a major comprehensive exam

which tests knowledge of Venetian history and landmarks,

foreign language skills,

and practical skills in handling the Gondola

typically necessary in the tight spaces of Venetian canals.
.- read somewhere that it takes 10 years to get Gondole licence

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An abandon building in one couryard

- it's a pity no-one has restored this gorgeous house

- not so many flats for sale in Venice,

but quite many empty ones.

The reason is in taxation:

no inheritance taxes at all

but rather high sales profit tax

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There are around 70.000 inhabitants in Venice

- app. 14 million tourists in year

at least in the last years,ű

don't know what's the amount now
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Palazzo Contarini del Bovolo

- external staircases were common in

Venetian houses of the 14th & 15th centuries

but, even at the time it was built,

the staircase of the Plazzo Contarini was unusual

due to its size & form

"bovolo" = snail
. Torre dell'Orologio

- this clocktower on Piazza di San Marcos dates

from the Renaissance

- local legend tells that once the clock was completed,

the 2 inventors of the complex mechanism

had their eyes gouged out

to prevent them from

ever creating a replica

Gruesome!
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Spritz all'Aperol

- Venetian drink made of prosecco & Aperol

- it was lovely to sit at a terrace and enjoy

the great weather & people-watching
.

By the way, heard that Jolie-Pitt family

was in Venice at the same time

as Angelina is filming the "Tourist" there

- actually saw some filming equipment & bright lights

along Canal Grande between

Accademia & Campo di Salute

.

Cruising season in Mediterranean has already started
- 2 cruise liners leaving Venice in Monday afternoon
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