Oh, how gushing am I allowed to be? It’s not great weather, but the City of Venice is everything it’s cracked up to be. Great campsite at Fusina, then it’s a vaporetto over to Zattere to wander through these ancient streets (snorkel might be handy…)

Yes, there’s a lot of tourism here, but also plenty of culture, of course. The Palazzo Ducale (Doge’s Palace) is well worth a visit with its astonishing Tinteretto paintings and ornate architecture…contrasting sharply with the prisons and the famous Bridge of Sighs.

The historic cathedral (Basilica!) is worth a visit…

Oh, and this guy’s definitely worth a word with…

We’re still in time to catch the 2011 Biennale… so plenty of contemporary art too…in fact, far more than you can see in one day – we merely get a flavour. Even the coffee shop makes a statement…

Then there’s Peggy Guggenheim’s impressive collection… two days is just not enough! And Venice has its own special statements to make…