As you drive the road over to Venice Italy a whole new world opens up.
No cars are allowed in the city and the fastest way to go between places has to be by boat on the canals that are obviously the blood veins of Venice. No wonder it is often called "City of Canals".
Sun is getting low and I try and make the best of it. Only a couple of hours until the light is gone and all photo opportunity is gone.
Venice is highly targeted to foreign visitors. Numerous shops with traditional theater masks and other more traditional tourist memorabilia.
With almost 300 thousand people living in the City - actually living in all the aging buildings and surrounded by history - it sure sounds like an exotic place.
Venice is a quiet and beautiful city...
...and many of the shops have so amazing displays. I easily feel like stepping back in time or into a movie.
Gondolas are still used - now mostly by romantic couples and other tourists.
The Grand Canal with the church Basilica di Santa Maria della Salute.
A typical entrance to a Venetian house with friendly brick walls and iron railings and the aging door.
Masks of all colors and forms. They are hand painted and in some cases handmade and are traditionally used for the Carnival of Venice but are also a great attraction for visitors. I bought one to take home and I can tell you it is not the easiest object to take on a plane.
San Marco or St. Marks Basilica is the most famous of the churches is Venice. Raised almost 1000 years ago in the magnificent Byzantine style and with decorations in pure gold it is no wonder people come to see it.
Details of San Marco.
The Program: The Program focuses on the influence of environmental factors on the immune system and includes an introductory section covering the basics of the immune system/immune response (innate immunity, adaptive immunity, B cell responses, T cell responses, hypersensitivity reactions). It then discusses how immune responses are modulated by environmental pollutants and the causal links between exposure and immunomodulation, including the corresponding basic molecular mechanisms. In Venice, lectures given by faculty members from the Department of Environmental Sciences at Ca' FoscariUniversity, will cover several environmental issues, including global warming and specific soil and water pollutants. Field trips set up to collect samples (which will be analyzed in the lab by the students) and visit different sites to observe and discuss novel methods for cleaning up pollutants will complete the hands-on environmental aspects of the course.