New Yorkers have a terrible habit of staying indoors all day. And when we travel, we sometimes forget that there is a world outside of our hotel rooms. I tried to break out of that habit today by walking around my Venice neighborhood.
I was curious to see what the streets would be like, because of something I saw at the Doge’s Palace a a few days ago. In the palace, in a special room, were kept the two books of Venice; one gold and one silver. The gold book contained all the names of the aristocrats. The silver, all of the citizens who were entitled to work.
However, in spite of this class separation, I found the way the houses are built in Venice very democratic, with mansions mixed with more modest homes throughout. It’s very charming.
