Day Four - Our last night in Venice

What a beautiful experience Venice has been.  Such an amazing City.  But a City saddened by its plight.  I have had the opportunity to speak to many Venetians and without exception they are angry and "fed up".  Their City is no longer their own.  Their history, traditions and lifestyle have been trampled by the millions of tourists that come here every year.  They have - as one man told me - been forced to accept "this" or starve.  For 95% of the Venetians tourism is the only way to make a living.  Meanwhile, they have no peace, no privacy, no life.

We ended our visit to Venice with a beautiful gondola ride.  A wonderful gondolero spoke to us and lamented the Venice of today.  He told me - as others have- that in 20 years there will be no venetians left in Venice and the entire City will be nothing more than an "amusement park for tourists".

It saddens me tremendously to see Venice through the eyes of its residents.   Fiercely loyal venetians who, quite frankly, resent what has become of this great City.  

Tomorrow morning we leave for Rome.  I take with me beautiful memories and a tremendous respect for the Venetians.