Dear Readers, time seems to have gotten away with me a bit today, but I have just enough time to tell you a bit about our visit to Guidecca today. Situated to the north of the main island of Venice, it’s a low-lying strip of houses, parks, cafés and shops that has its own unique feel. Today, some goods were being picked up by crane, deposited into a large lorry and then taken off across the lagoon, all by boat. And very efficient it was too! In spite of the choppy seas, I’d say it only took about half an hour to sort out the whole thing.

If you want to get your feet wet, Giiudecca is the place, whenever I visit at least – the sea is always crashing onto the pavement. Still, for a little relative peace from the hustle and bustle of St Marks, this is a great option. You can hop over to St Georgio Maggiore, the magnificent Palladio church, on a number 2 vaporetto, but to be honest, my favourite church in the whole of Venice is the Redentore, just along the road. It, too, is a Palladio church, built to give thanks for the end of the 1576 plague in Venice, which killed 50,000 people there. Inside, it has a clean simplicity that I love. Plus, the organ was played when we were there.

Photo By Il_Redentore.jpg: Wknight94derivative work: Alberto Fernandez Fernandez (talk) – Il_Redentore.jpg, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=8946416

I lit a candle for my friend Ann, and my friend Margaret, who loved Venice so much. And I lit one for my parents. I’m not a conventionally religious person, but it’s important to me to remember those I’ve loved who are no longer here to enjoy a beautiful day in this beautiful place, at least not in the form in which I knew them. And unlike some of the more baroque churches in Venice you can still feel a serenity and peace here. Do visit if you ever get a chance.