My heart belongs to Venice
Like many Australians, travel topped my post-retirement agenda; a dream to be realised once the mortgage was paid off. What I never imagined was that one particular holiday would prompt a reassessment of my life’s pathway. Three weeks travelling through Italy, spending time in its towns and cities, was the catalyst. Millions of visitors have been captivated by Venice, the magical, floating city where ancient palazzi rise from still water, mosaics glint in Saint Mark’s Basilica, and the Rialto Bridge, where Shakespeare’s money-lender Shylock once demanded his pound of flesh, spans the Grand Canal. But on my visit, a different, less grand Venice cast its spell.
It was a day warmed by sunshine and possibilities; I’d wandered off-grid to the city’s western fringe and
