Surrender to a slower rhythm as your gondola glides on the unfrequented side canals, and you taste local products and Prosecco wine.

Lean back and enjoy sights you will see nowhere else in the world. House doors open onto shaded waters, and boats are moored close by. Carved stone bridges lead from alley to alley. Small gardens hang from rooftop terraces.

Look attentively, and you will see not only the happy amalgam of Europe and the East in the architecture, but also the incredible details of carefully crafted doorknobs and glass lamps and ironwork.

Venice is a world unto itself — and one well worth discovering.