Forget water taxis and tourist rides, if you want a fresh perspective on La Serenissima, jump in a kayak and paddle up to St Mark’s Square
It’s rush hour and there’s a traffic jam on the Grand Canal. Popping out into the canal from one of the narrower waterways is a trio of gondolas; hurtling towards them is the number-one vaporetto (water bus) loaded with its summer cargo. So far so familiar, but in the midst of this waterborne whirl of gondolas, buses, taxis, pleasure and motorboats there’s me, in a kayak, with a honking, crane-bearing delivery boat up my backside.
Spying what I thought was an available gap I’d sneaked into it so I could take some photos – but I’d parked in front of a restaurant and there was a Coke fridge to deliver. Under the watchful eye of the … Details