Venice: Venerable, Exquisite—and Alive

[Part One of a three-part series on our sojourn in Venice, Italy. Part Two, “Bridge of Sighs,” appears next.]

James D. Priest

A while ago, my wife Ilka and I visited Venice, Italy. While there—surprisingly—Ilka had an intimate encounter with the city. To explain what happened, let me first discuss the early history of Venice.

It is an ancient city, constructed over a millennium ago, and an engineering miracle. Why a miracle? Because it was built—quite literally—on water. How is that possible? Why would anyone erect a city in such an illogical location? For the same reason many things are done. Out of fear.

In what is now known as Northern Italy, the early period after Christ was anything but peaceful...

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