Cayman 2024 - #10 - Was recently blessed to have visited Venice for several days, including a fabulous boat ride to Murano, Burano, and finally to the island of Torcello for lunch and a walk around of these 3 treasured ancient buildings. Wow! With the earliest of these buildings right near each other dating back to the 600's, this is an amazing place to visit. Unfortunately, there were no guides to take us through, so we were left to our own devices to look and wonder.....but having now read this book i purchased as we departed, i realize we had no idea what we were looking at and its significance in the history of Venice. The Bell Tower was stunning, and we climbed to the top of it (it is still functioning), which uniquely consisted of mostly ramps rather than steps. The view was spectacular.....and the book tells that lightning hit it in 1696, resulting in its rebuild lowering the tower to its current height. The context a book like this adds to a visit is priceless. ( )