Italian Island Hopping

While most tourists are familiar with the bustling alleyways of Venice, this ancient city has much more to offer

- Riaan Jacob George

Mythical, enigmatic, delightfully chaotic, annoyingly touristy and irresistibly mesmerising — just a few of the words that could best describe the Italian city of Venice. My arrival in Venice is unique to say the least, as I lug my bags from the arrivals hall to, well, the airport jetty. Here, I am whisked away in a Venetian wood-veneered vaporetto to my accommodation, a quick 30-minute ride from the airport. To my right, I see the magnificent, ever-so-familiar landscape of Venice in the distance. Just as I begin admiring the rooftops, cupolas and spires of the historic centre of Venice, my boat begins to veer away from it all, leaving all this behind. A couple of minutes later, after sailing past a few small islands, I finally arrive at the wooden jetty of the San Clemente Island. While Venice’s centre is certainly an architectural and cultural marvel, a lot of luxury travellers, these days, are choosing to eschew its crowded and often cramped spaces, by staying on one of the distant islands, and sailing to Venice whenever required. This is exactly what I am doing, during my 48-hour exploration of the city. San Clemente Island, as it turns out, is extremely significant in the history of this region, and I am eager to discover it.

EXPLORING THE TOURIST SPOTS