Venice, upside-down forest

“This was Venice, the, flattering and suspect beauty — this city, half fairy tale and half tourist trap, in whose insalubrious air the arts once rankly and voluptuously blossomed, where composers have been inspired to lulling tones of somniferous eroticism.”
- Thomas Mann

“Et quand nous arrivons dans cette ville singulière, nous la contemplons infailliblement avec des yeux prévenus et ravis, nous la regardons avec nos rêves.”
- Guy de Maupassant

“Perché il sogno più vero è quello più distante dalla realtà, quello che vola via senza bisogno di vele, né di vento.”
- Hugo Pratt

Venice is not that of the tourists, of their noise, of the stalls, of the nasty. Venice is not this. We must seek, escape from the usual tourist routes.

Venice is hidden in the silence and in the simple elegance of small squares ("campielli"), in the narrow passages that open into the largest squares ("campi") in the small streets ("calli") that lead to extraordinary places.

Then we will be welcomed by the real sounds of Venice and its silences, there will be revealed to us stunning images that speak of travels, adventures, cultures that come from other countries. Because, it's amazing, but these places are still there, hidden and sometimes well protected.

These images are the dreams of my first real encounter with the most famous city in the world. Others will follow.

I read in a book: "In some encounters there is no hurry. Some conversations are made of looks and don't need too many words." And a few pages later: "Venice will never die because it's too full of dreams".

These are twelve pictures from project Venezia, upside-down forest.