Venice in Words

While the waters of Venice rise from time to time. The love of reading never fades even if the words on the pages of history become lighter with age. This bookstore honors both of those things. The books are often old and faded. Carrying a scent of time past and well worn by the hands of those who have held them before. They are stored in bathtubs to save them from the ravishes of the rising water. Of the tide, the flood, the entire city, water seeping into the lower floors of houses and shops. Mirroring the sky and dyeing the city with its colors reflecting the building upon themselves.

I have not yet had the pleasure to visit Venice during the acqua alta. And yet, the idea that this enchanted city might soon be gone, lost to the water that it floats upon is a reality that haunts me.

This city is….a journey through watercolor pictures, with ever-changing views from one step to the next.

In springtime, the city is heavy with the scent of honeysuckles, bread, and fresh water. There is a stillness that falls over the city as the blue hour sets in. I used to love sunsets. But a Blue hour in Venice, on the water, is utterly magical.