Venice is a study in superlatives. The Queen of the Adriatic is so captivating, nothing compares to it. Warning: You won’t want to go back home

Magical, mystical, awesome. A placid paradise. Venice, I thought, is one of the most unique cities of our planet. Laden with hefty luggage and suitcases, I walked out of Marco Polo Airport on my first Italian escapade, as Venice invited me to be her guest last summer. An overcast sky and a light drizzle could only make things more watery in Venezia. It looked as if the smooth levelled roads were replaced with waterways, bridges and uneven cobblestone walks. I had to brave the waters to Rialto Bridge in the comfort of The Ali Laguna Boat. As the boat skimmed the surface of the water, the fact of leaving dry land gradually sunk in.

One hundred and eighteen salt-marsh islands in the Northern Adriatic Sea make the city of Venice, which is divided into six districts, called “Sistieri” in Italian. They are Cannaregio, San Polo, Dorsoduro, Santa Croce, San Marco and Castello. The first impression of this beautiful city warrants exploration.The enviable weather in Venice around this time of the year gives you the feel of La Dolce Vita!

Reaching Rialto, I quickly checked into my hotel and grabbed my camera to be on the streets as early as possible. A walk around the city was what I was dying for. Winding my way through the labyrinth of narrow sidewalks and foot bridges, I wandered around from the Rialto to San Marco and stopped in for caffe’ at the bar next door. I took all my time while window shopping and gawking at the decorated gondolas and bizarre characters strolling down the streets.

I didn’t have enough time to read up on Venice before arriving here but I knew I would be spoilt for choice in terms of shops and restaurants. The back streets and corner cafes are the places where one can escape the tourist groups and sit with a latte and gelato, gaze at the pigeons and the age-old Gothic architecture around. It was so enchanting to be in this city in the water amidst huge mass of people that I just walked aimlessly through the crowd with a smile. Life in Venice looks enjoyable and relaxed, no matter what time of day it is.

The Grand Canal, Venice’s main thoroughfare, snaking for about two miles into the city from the mouth to its tail, is lined with Gothic and Byzantine architecture, with a curious fusion of Islamic forms. Venice is laced with a vast network of canals and labyrinthine alleys connected by more than 400 ornate bridges. Rialto Bridge is one of the three bridges that cross the Grand Canal — the other two are the Accademia Bridge and the Scalzi Bridge. While the Venice of yesteryear is gone, the legacy remains. A walk through the meandering roads of the city is really a walk around the world. Don’t worry about losing your way because getting lost is a rite of passage to this city and the best way to experience it!

I stayed at the adorable Palace Bonvecchiati in Calle dei Fabbri in the central area. The stunning Saint Mark’s Square with the Basilica, Museo Corner, Ducal Palace and the historical Caffe’ Florian are just around the corner. The most prestigious boutiques of the master glassmakers of Murano and Italian and international designers (Gucci, Cartier, Versace etc.) brands shops are a little further on.

Consecrated in 1650, Venice’s iconic Saint Mark’s Basilica is the most famous of all the cities churches. Until 1805, it was known as the Doge’s Chapel. After taking in the iconic view I went inside St Mark’s Basilica that resembled the Hagia Sophia more than any of the cathedrals I have ever visited. The dazzling mosaics on the ceiling bathes the interior of this famous structure in magnificent golden hues, owing their lustre to the gold leaf painting on the back side of each of the tiles. The Church is made from glittering gold and it is decorated throughout with jeweled art and precious relics, so much so that it is nicknamed the Church of Gold.

I headed back outside and spent a few hours wandering around the Rialto Market known for the shops selling every type of fish and sea creatures one can imagine. I was excited about getting my hands on some fresh figs, and also spent time staring at a pile of inky octopuses. Though I was here for hunting down authentic local restaurants, it was late afternoon and I was yet to have any gelato, so I set out to find some. I walked past the Santa Maria della Salute, which was built as an offering during a plague that assaulted Venice in 1630, and then further along the Zattere, a waterfront promenade that offers a different view of the city. Finally I came across Gelati Nico and chose to have lemon and strawberry-flavoured gelato, the best of the trip. After another round of walk across the shadowy canals that gave a sense of moody mystery when the light hits the water of the Grand Canal just right, and the turquoise water and candycoloured buildings dazzle up, I settled at one of the bars at the base of the Rialto Bridge that provided a gorgeous view of the Grand Canal. Down by a couple of Veneto wines I boarded a gondola waiting just steps away. The gondolas in Venice are pricey though (about 110 Euros for a 30-minute ride), but I felt the ride was worth the splurge. It was incredibly romantic to experience Venice from the water and see the sun set in the Adriatic Sea.

Speaking of nighttime in Venice, a visit to the Piazza San Marco is a fascinating experience. At night, each of the cafes at the Piazza San Marco put on live musical performances. I decided to sit on the steps of the piazza and get soaked in the performance of a masked DJ spinning dance music with different coloured club lights thrown around the entire square. The iconic St Mark’s Cathedral clock tower changed from neon pink, blue, indigo, green and yellow, as few people danced to the rhythm of the beats. The atmosphere was truly electrifying. That was an evening to remember.

But it wasn’t all hunky-dory. Although the city is reclaimed by the waters that made it famous, it now looks as if it is actually taking a plunge into the sea, as if this glorious capital of the earlier Maritime Venetian Republic is weary of being hounded by tourists from across the world — as if it wants to die in the Adriatic. Venice is sinking slowly. It’s a city to be experienced with your loved one and if reports are to be believed it should be seen before it disappears completely into the surrounding waters. Over the past 1,000 years, it has sunk by around 7 centimeters for every century. Reasons are many and unexplained — from global warming to melting polar ice caps to the city sinking in its own foundation. And there’s nothing anybody can do to stop it.

Venice has been so special to me. In the moments when you find yourself posing for photographs on one of its many picturesque bridges or while gorging on delicacies at Piazza San Marco, or, perhaps, taking a lazy ride in a Gondola, one can’t help but exclaim Viva Italia! A place I am totally smitten with reminded me of the Italian romantic composer Giuseppe Verdi and how rightly he said “You may have the universe if I may have Italy”.