Meanwhile, the ambience screams Ohio country club. This Bellini is the best cocktail I've had in Europe, and three waiters just miraculously appeared to serve our first course. I guess I'm not unhappy with our visit, it's just that . . . Wow, I see you've really absorbed the Casanova influence while you've been here . . . This is the city that threw Casanova in jail.
Tourism is literally what keeps it afloat.
But look at the cost. The Rialto is a terrific piece of bridge work, but for 50 yards on either side it looks like a Branson, Mo., yard sale. The schlockmeisters detract from the good stuff like the exquisite farmers' market. The bookshops and stationers are a bibliophile's dream. A bit gaudy, but it's up there with the Duomo in Florence and St. Peter's in Rome.