Anne here:
Today we visited three interesting buildings, had a two minute gondola ride, a wonderful lunch and finished a great day with a concert.

We kept walking the three bridges and several steps from our unit to the Teatro Fenice- Phoenix Theatre- just about every day so decided to check it out. There is an audio- guided tour which explains the history of this well named theatre. Fenice refers to Phoenix and as did this fabled bird, the theatre burnt to ashes and rose again twice. The residents of our unit more than likely had to evacuate during these events.

What we saw today is the result of a massive reconstruction that was completed in 2003. The foyer alone is stunning with chandeliers, and the theatre is also opulent with ornate carvings and gold inlaid over them. There were several other rooms which were also quite grand and are used as ballrooms and for functions.

A quick stop at home to put the last load of washing out, or rather on and around the heaters, and then we had a two minute gondola/ ferry ride across the canal - with German music playing??? This was the best way to get to the next two destinations.

Second stop was La Scuola Grande di San Rocco which features incredible paintings by one of the grand masters- Tintoretto. The Scuola was set up in the 13th century by lay confraternities for worship and to aid those in need. Members came from the middle classes and so were excluded from the government of the Republic. The Scuola di San Rocco was one of the societies that practised self flagellation. No sign of that these days! The Scuola allowed them to play an important role in Venetian society at the time.

Tintoretto was influenced by Michelangelo and Titian and worked with the Scuola for over 20 years leaving behind over 60 paintings. He is himself featured in one in the Scuola- Christ Before Pilate where he is the old man in white. Large mirrors are provided that each visitor can carry around to give a clear and magnified view of the ceiling paintings.

We decided to have a sit down lunch and needed to thaw out after the cold of the Scuola. We took our time to decide and landed in a gem by the canal- Malvasia All' Adriatica Mar, Dorsoduro 3771. It was tiny, full of Italians, and we were greeted warmly. We chose a local white wine, Glera. This is the name of the grape used for Prosecco, but this wine was still. It was quite cloudy and had a mellow fruity taste. Not sure if we can get it in Australia. We ordered from the small wall menu. The waiter came by and apologised for the wait on the food but we told him we were not in a hurry. He came by again and was ashamed to admit to being unable to find the meat for Mick's dish. He said he was "desolate " about this but Mick told him any meat will do. The food was unusual for us and delicious. We both had polenta with a sweet kale. I had baccala - cod- and Mick had the meat and smoked cheese. We rounded off a lovely meal with coffee. This is a place we would go back to.

Baton passes:
Next stop was the Basilica of Santa Maria Gloriosa dei Frari which features another master painter known as The Red Priest- Titian. Unlike the Scuola, this is a church and reflects hundreds of years of evolution. Titian's tomb is there as well as some of his paintings but his work is joined by that of Donatello, not a turtle, Veneziano, Bellini, Veciello, Vivarini and countless other lesser known artists. I couldn't help thinking that this vast gothic edifice was a long way from the ideals of the poor man of Assisi!

Given that we had an evening concert we passed a quiet afternoon, and ate the remains of our provisions. I watched an Italian game show called 'The Wall' and we headed out on the 10 minute walk to another Scuola, this time of San Teodoro. This school was devoted to music and we had tickets for a performance of Vivaldi's Four Seasons along with one of his other works and Pachelbel's canon. The first half was performed by a sextet of two violins, viola, bass, cello and harpsichord. The Four Seasons saw the addition of a solo violin. All the musicians were in period costume. It was a wonderful way to soak up some of the atmosphere of the Venice of years gone by.

The walk home, by now quite familiar, and not at all as perplexing as the walks of a week ago, took less than ten minutes. Our last night in Venice.

A couple of reflections. For better or worse, the business of Venice is tourism. It is almost impossible to stop being a tourist. Even some of the backwaters and byways we explored have their share of shops selling masks and glass of uncertain provenance. I think we may have seen one butcher and one baker and a couple of hardware shops. The rest must be here somewhere! And still the place is bewitching. Maybe that is because of its very improbability.

Second reflection. Had we been here in high season, I think I would quickly have hated it. The addition of major crowds to the little world we have lived in would simply break the enchantment- stretched beyond any suspension of disbelief. We never had to queue. We rarely had to push through crowds - except for a few narrow alleyways, or on the Rialto. The vaporetti were full but not heaving. In short, for the price of shorter days and lower temperatures we could visit without frustration. We recommend it.