Arriving in Venice from Mestre
Our little ferry boat took us through the middle of the mooring area for a number of huge ocean-going cruise ships then past the backside of Venice. Finally we rounded a bend in a rather run-down section of the city and saw the Venice we tourists were supposed to see. Using the Disney World analogy again this was like being behind all the false facades on Main Street USA then suddenly emerging on to the phoney, touristy little world of gift shops and rides.
I think this photo gives an idea of just how choppy the water was on our little cruise.
Italy became a nation-state in 1861 when the city-states of the peninsula, along with Sardinia and Sicily, were united under King Victor EMMANUEL II. An era of parliamentary government came to a close in the early 1920s when Benito MUSSOLINI establis... ... read more 
