Piazza San Marco and Riva degli Schiavoni from dusk to night. At the Piazza, the infamous pigeons had gone to roost, many of the tourists had disappeared and street lights and lights around the buildings had turned on to reveal a serene and majestic side of Venice's famous landmarks.

Background

During the last hours of the day, some of the lights turned on around the Basilica Santa Maria della Salute and Palazzo Dogana al Mare. The temperature had dropped significantly, but the area now felt more peaceful, the Vaporetto stops outside of San Marco virtually empty and souvenir shops closed .

Walking around to Piazza San Marco, it was pleasing to find less people and no pigeons in the area. However, the lights around the square turned on in stages, starting with the Procuratie, the Campanile and the Basilica. By the time all the lights came on, the piazza and its famous Basilica shone like gold. With the lights shining brightly at the square and the famous basilica and palace, the piazza really looked to be the best place for peace and quiet on a cold and chilly Venetian night. As I looked around the near-empty square, I felt pity to the visitors on tight itineraries who missed seeing the piazza at night.

For an otherwise packed and eventful day, the only disappointment was the ongoing renovation of Torre dell' Orologio (note the photo of the Ducale Palace at night). This meant that I was unable to take any photos, nor climb up this famous clocktower. I guess these things happen.

Technical

Canon EOS 300V 28-90mm USM lense. Kodak 400 film. All photos taken with 1 second exposure during sunset and 3 second exposure during the night.