Underneath The Arches

Walking around the backstreets of any city will reveal little gems and hidden treasures and that is certainly true of Venice.

Strictly speaking the first picture in today's selection is not Venice, it is from Burano, an island famous for fine lace and its colourful houses. The focus of today's images is doorways and arches and in this first shot shows a couple of colourful doorways. I think this one makes a nice image but I think it is important to be respectful when taking pictures of someone's home and I have tried to show these at their best. 

Sadly while visiting this island there were many people showing a lack of respect by posing for instagram shots by standing in the doorways and even pulling the curtains around their heads like shawls. On one occasion I noticed a woman waiting patiently as two young girls posed in the doorway, at first I thought she was politely avoiding walking into the shot but as they took shot after shot trying to get the perfect "instapose" it became apparent that she was actually waiting to get into her house.

The second image was taken at the end of a passageway that ended at a canal and on the opposite side was this little archway leading into a hidden courtyard. I like the colour of the brickwork, I like the shape of the arch and I love the mystery of what might be in the streets and spaces beyond.

The third picture is taken looking back towards the colonnade that you can see in the fifth image. I Took this opportunistic shot as a city worker was unloading brushes from a boat, they were being stacked at strategic points in the locality for the street cleaners to help keep the streets and passageways clean and clear of rubbish.

The fourth image was a real hidden gem that I really could not have expected. As I approached it I thought at first it was just a passageway but if you look carefully it is actually a tiny chapel, complete with wood panelling, beautifully painted walls, oil paintings, statues and icons. It was a real find and although it was a thoroughfare in constant use it was immaculate.

The fifth image is of an arched passageway along the side of a canal, the columns supporting the building above. You may just be able to make out the supermarket cages at the end of the passage, that is because that is the loading point for the local supermarket.

The final image is of the hotel I stayed in on my first visit to this beautiful city. I have chosen this shot because of the entrance to the hotel directly onto the canal. There is another entrance just around the corner through a beautiful courtyard but I think this is another little gem. It also leads onto a lovely little breakfast room where I enjoyed the best breakfasts during my first European road trip, yum yum.