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Off-Season

Venice

By Alexander Schlosser

March 30^th, 2022

Short days, frosty winds, closed bars and restaurants: There’s a reason why the end of the year is not the prime season for vacation in Europe’s milder regions. Yet, combined with the travel-restrictions that come with a global pandemic, November made for a quite unique trip to Venice.

After a rather unpleasant experience in Italy’s other tourist hell Florence a couple of years back, Venice was very low on my list of must-see places. However, that quickly changed when my girlfriend got invited to work as an artist in residency at the Swiss embassy. Not only did her three months stay convince me to overcome my prejudices and visit the city myself. It also allowed me to peak beyond Venice’s facades and get a glimpse of what everyday life can be in a city that regularly gets run over by hordes of visitors.

As with other well-known tourist destinations like Paris or Florence, one might think that every little detail of Venice has already been photographed and shared. And that’s probably true. However, Venice is a tricky place to capture: The sheer size of its maze-like canal and alley system, the nested building structures, the seamless blend of public and private spaces – all of these have to be experienced in person as no photo can express how weird and unique this place really is.

Instead I tried to capture the smaller fragments: how different textures and surfaces shape architecture, how people interact with the space around them, and how the light frames everything. This focus might not be too different from my previous sets on this blog. However, this time it comes with gondole, piazzi and palazzi. And hopefully with some of the grandezza that still shows in the corners of this often-portrayed city.

Lido

Lido, an island that lends its name to Italian beach culture. And – most importantly – the place where Venetians can drive cars. A rather unremarkable place in gloomy November.

Footnotes

Sony a7r III, 24–70 GM

Button Label

FootNotes

Sony a7r III, 24–70 GM

Breathe In, Breathe Out

Off-Season

Venice

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