Photo Story: Empty Venice

I visited Venice in July 2020, at a point when the European borders had just opened following several months of Covid-19 quarantine measures. I decided to go to Venice at this time since visitors to Italy would still be limited to Europeans only, and the cancelling of cruises and group tours meant that Venice would be seeing a fraction of its usual tourist influx!

What I found when I arrived was an eerily quiet Venice. Where gondolas usually clogged up the Grand Canal, I had to wait quite a while to see just one. The usual snaking queues to visit monuments such as St Mark's Campanile were entirely non-existent. Vaporettos were only half-filled, and with locals instead of tourists. Restaurants sat empty, their menus full of special offers to entice the few visitors to dine with them.

Here are some photos that reveal a quieter side to Venice...

Deserted Burano

Scala Contarini del Bovolo

Sunset over Salute

Eerily peaceful at St Mark's Square

Solitary gondola on the Grand Canal

The Doge's Palace

Calm canals

Rooftop panorama

Everything is colourful in Burano

Sunset over gondolas

Quiet corners

The lone local

Empty San Marco's

Peaceful reflections in Burano

Quiet bookshop

San Giorgio Maggiore

Empty San Marco side street

Gondola by the Accademia Bridge

Famous, usually very busy, Caffe Florian