Venice shows what is probably its genuine face during winter. With most of the noisy crowd of tourists reduced to just a handful of art lovers, the beauties of the Serenissima are more readily appreciated. No noise, no waiting, lower prices, slower paces.

Moreover, you can even meet true Venetians in winter, people you would consider extinct in every other period of the year – which is a blessing if your aim as a visitor is to try to live the town from its very inside rather than merely scratch its ‘ready-made for tourists’ gleaming surface.

For photographers, there are a few more advantages. In winter, the sun seems never to rise; instead, it remains low above the horizon line, and somewhat its light is scattered in the sky as if it was shining through a window of polished glass or alabaster, and the shadows are as long as church aisles.

Sunrises last for ages, and so do sunsets. It is breathtaking just staring at this glorious representation, watching the sun. At the same time, it slowly emerges from or dives into the pale green waters of the lagoon, occasionally peeping through layers of bold rainy clouds at the horizon and casting its faint rays on the facades of palaces and churches.