Italy
Venice, the jewel of northern Italy, is a fascinating labyrinth of more than a hundred islands connected by picturesque stone bridges and waterways.
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The heart of the entire city is the Grand Canal, the main waterway lined with magnificent Renaissance and Gothic palaces that seem to rise directly from the water. The atmosphere is enhanced by elegant historic buildings with terraces full of flowers, slender bell towers soaring toward the sky, and the famous singing of the gondoliers, which drifts through the narrow streets. Venice is, quite simply, a living museum where time has stood still and where every corner tells a story.