Waterworld

The Venetian cityscape is powered by a completely alien infrastructure in which tires have been replaced by tillers. The garbage man, postman and policeman do the same things they always do, but their vehicles all float.

Seeing a radically different approach to supporting the life of a city is weird and fantastical, like discovering a deep sea thermal vent that supports hydrogen-based life forms. Who would have believed it possible to have a vibrant, modern city which has banished wheels?

Despite its oddities, Venice doesn’t feel like an anachronism. Yes, we rode the canals on an old-fashioned gondola ride, yet our gondolier took several calls on his cell phone while he shepherded us through the canals.

Out of its exotic environment, Venice harvests an amazing bounty of human creativity.
A city once dedicated to the sea is now dedicated to the senses. Streets are crammed with shops displaying handmade scarves, paper, glass and masks in bright colors.

Seeing Venice makes you wonder why more cities don’t make the effort to be interesting.