stones of venice

“There is set in the deeper places of the heart such affection for the signs of age that the eye is delighted even by injuries which are the work of time; not but that there is also real and absolute beauty in the forms and colours so obtained.” ~ John Ruskin, Modern Painters, volume I (Of General Principles), 1843-1844

Venice has an intimate relationship with the sea, perhaps more so than any other city in the world. The forces of nature are constantly at war with its very foundations ~ eroding the stones, leaving tide marks. It is partly what makes Venice such a romantic city ~ and in fact Ruskin felt so strongly about it that he criticized those who sought to try to restore the city's buildings. The scars of time are part of its history. As I walked around I was fascinated by the abstract patterns of these eroded landscapes. And yes, even in Venice there is graffiti!