Narrow canals[河道] replace streets， with tiny arched[拱形的] bridges connecting the old buildings； colorful cascades[小瀑布] of flowers spilling from balconies[陽(yáng)臺(tái)] take the place of concrete walls； gondolas[鳳尾船] and a variety of boats replace cars； and in lieu of[代替] honking[鳴喇叭] horns， the sound of singing gondoliers[鳳尾船船夫] echoes[回響] down the canals and cobblestone[圓石] streets. Alleyways wind through the city like a maze[迷宮]， opening up into the surprising， sunny little piazzas[廣場(chǎng)]， complete with fountains. During the evening， patches of fog curl[纏繞] mysteriously[神秘地] through the city in the moonlight， giving it an ethereal[輕飄的]， magical atmosphere.

Where can we find such a romantic place？Yes， it’s Venice！ Venice is considered among the most beautiful and best-preserved cities in the world. It is beautiful beyond comparison. The city’s canals with their gondolas， the ancient buildings and the sweet narrow streets give this unique city a breathtakingly[激動(dòng)人心地] romantic flair[本領(lǐng)]. Appearing just as it did long ago to traders and travelers on merchant ships approaching from distant lands， Venice continues to enchant[迷住] vacationers and honeymooners[度蜜月的人] arriving by boat today. The city speaks to the heart of lovers and dreamers， business tycoons[大亨] and vendors[小販]. Nothing new can rival[比得上] its ancient splendour[光輝]； and its store of hidden treasures and mysteries can never be exhausted. The anticipation[期望] of new discoveries belongs to long-time residents and visitors alike as they motor or paddle out to its veiled silhouette[輪廓] on the sea.

Venice is built on top of over a hundred islands， between which run about 150 canalsost of which are very narrow. There are over a hundred little communities[社區(qū)] or neighborhoods on each little island. And more than 430 bridges cross over the canals to connect these communities. Generally， each community has its own church， which faces onto the public square. The public square， which contains a water well， is the nucleus[中心] of the community. Around the square are the homes combining shops. Shops often inhabit[居住于] the first floors with the residence on the second floor. The grand stately[高貴的] palaces， built by the historically wealthy Venetian merchant families， all have their main entrances facing onto the canals. However， the means of transportation for most natives is the small narrow pedestrian[行人] paths and alleys. Given the relative instability[不穩(wěn)定性] of the ground， the houses are all built on wood pilesany are more than 400 years old.

Venice currently has a population of 65 thousand. This number is， however， in constant decline[下降]. Tourists swell[增長(zhǎng)] this number to around 25 million each year. Central Venice is divided into six administrative[行政管理的] districts： St. Mark’s district， which lies in the heart of the city， is the most-visited of the six. The attractions include St. Mark’s Square， the Doge’s Palace and St. Mark’s Church. In St. Mark’s Square， visitors can purchase corn from vendors in the square and feed the birds. Almost everybody goes home with a picture of pigeons[鴿子] with St. Mark’s Church in the background.

In Venice you have two optionset around on foot or by boat. Walking in Venice is fun and is an essential[必要的] part of the Venetian experience. You will encounter numerous bridges， boutique shops[時(shí)裝商店] selling glass souvenirs[紀(jì)念品] and squares with outdoor restaurants and cafes. While it’s easy to get lost in the narrow streets， you can always find your way back to St. Mark’s Square and Rialto by following many signs attached to buildings.

If you choose to have a tour on the water， you shouldn’t miss the opportunity of taking a romantic gondola ride. Gondolas have been a tradition in Venice for centuries. Initially[最初]， they used to transport goods down the narrow Venice canals. Today， gondolas are primarily used for sightseeing[觀光] and ceremonial functions. The fastest way to get around Venice is by water taxi. When it rains， taxis are especially convenient since they have a closed cabin[船艙]. Taking a gondola ride in Venice gives you a completely different perspective[景觀] of the city than exploring it on foot. If you go for a walk around St. Mark’s in the evening， many gondoliers stand near bridges offering gondola rides.

Venice by day is in complete contrast to Venice by night. During the day， Venice is a busy city. Its canals are filled with water taxis and delivery boats， while the narrow streets are full of shoppers and sightseers[觀光游客]. Venice is at its most busy between 10A.M. and 4P.M. Many tourists come to the city on day trips and leave in the afternoon. However， early in the morning you can catch a glimpse[一瞥] of a different Venice. The narrow city streets are empty， except for an occasional local hurrying to work. On the river bank， you can watch rows of gondolas in the calm waters of the lagoon[瀉湖]. In the morning， St. Mark’s Square is cleaned and prepared for the daily visitors while the pigeons begin to stir and take test flights to the roof above the square.

Late in the afternoon， you will notice the change of pace[步速] as the day draws to an end. As the day-trippers leave， the city becomes calmer and more romantic. The best time for a romantic gondola ride is late in the afternoon after the delivery boats have left the narrow canals. As you walk along the narrow streets and squares， you can listen to the songs of the gondolier and the sounds coming from open-air restaurants and cafes. After dinner， two cafes feature live open-air orchestras[管弦樂(lè)隊(duì)] in St. Mark’s Square. They play popular pieces while visitors sip[呷] their drinks.

Venice is definitely a place where many a poet and painter， prince and pauper[乞丐]， politician and pundit[學(xué)者] came to find rest and inspiration[靈感]. It is also the best location for an Italian wedding， too. No wonder the city attracts a large number of lovers to celebrate Valentine’s Day. It has even become a hotspot[熱點(diǎn)] for romantic Parisians[巴黎人].

狹窄的河道代替了街道，小拱橋連接起古老的建筑；陽(yáng)臺(tái)上色彩斑斕的花卉如瀑布般下垂著，覆蓋了厚實(shí)的墻；“貢多拉”（意大利威尼斯的鳳尾船）和各式各樣的船只替代了汽車；還有放聲高歌的“貢多拉”船夫的歌聲取代了汽車?yán)鹊镍Q響，歌聲在河道上和圓石小巷中回蕩著。小城里的街道迂回曲折，猶如迷宮，街道意想不到地延伸到陽(yáng)光充沛的小廣場(chǎng)，廣場(chǎng)內(nèi)有噴水池。晚上，縷縷薄霧在朦朧月色的映襯下神秘地纏繞著水城，營(yíng)造出幾分輕飄魔幻的氣氛。

我們到哪里可以找到如此浪漫的地方呢？沒(méi)錯(cuò)，就是威尼斯！威尼斯被公認(rèn)是世界上最美麗以及保存得最完好的城市之一。它的美麗無(wú)與倫比。水城里的河道與河道上的“貢多拉”，古老的建筑物以及怡人的狹窄街道使得這座獨(dú)特的城市擁有令人動(dòng)心的浪漫風(fēng)情。很久以前，乘坐在商船上的商人和旅客從遙遠(yuǎn)的地方來(lái)到威尼斯，如今這座城市依然吸引著坐船而來(lái)的假日旅行者和度蜜月的人們。水城說(shuō)出了情侶們與夢(mèng)想者、商業(yè)大亨和小販們的心聲。沒(méi)有什么新事物能比得上水城古老的光輝；水城所隱藏著的財(cái)富和神秘永遠(yuǎn)也不會(huì)耗盡。在此已久的老居民和老游客期待在這里獲得新發(fā)現(xiàn)，他們啟動(dòng)馬達(dá)或劃起船槳出海到威尼斯鮮為人知的小島上。

威尼斯建在一百多個(gè)島上，有150條河道縱橫其中——大部分的河道都很狹窄。每個(gè)小島擁有一百多個(gè)小社區(qū)或居民區(qū)，有四百三十多座橋梁橫跨于河道上，把這些社區(qū)連接起來(lái)。一般來(lái)說(shuō)，每個(gè)社區(qū)都擁有各自的教堂，教堂面對(duì)著公共廣場(chǎng)。廣場(chǎng)有一口井，是每個(gè)社區(qū)的中心。圍繞著廣場(chǎng)的是商住兩用的樓房，通常商鋪設(shè)在一樓，而二樓則住人。由家世顯赫的威尼斯商人家族建起的住宅雄偉豪華，其主要入口都正對(duì)河道。然而，對(duì)于大多數(shù)當(dāng)?shù)仄矫癜傩?，其交通要道則是窄小的行人道和小街巷。由于當(dāng)?shù)氐牡孛嫦鄬?duì)不穩(wěn)定，因此房子都是以木樁支撐的——許多房子已有四百多年的歷史了。

目前威尼斯有6.5萬(wàn)人口。然而，這個(gè)數(shù)字還在不斷下滑。每年到訪的游客則遠(yuǎn)遠(yuǎn)超過(guò)這個(gè)數(shù)字，約達(dá)2500萬(wàn)人。威尼斯市區(qū)分為6個(gè)行政區(qū)：坐落在市中心的圣馬克區(qū)是6個(gè)區(qū)中最多游客前來(lái)游覽的地區(qū)。這里的景點(diǎn)包括圣馬克廣場(chǎng)、總督府和圣馬克教堂。在圣馬克廣場(chǎng)，游客可以從廣場(chǎng)上的小販那里買到玉米來(lái)喂鳥兒。幾乎所有人都帶著一張以圣馬克教堂為背景的鴿子照片回家。

在威尼斯觀光，你有兩個(gè)選擇——步行或乘船。漫步威尼斯很有趣，而且是威尼斯旅程必不可少的一部分。你將會(huì)遇到數(shù)之不盡的橋梁、售賣玻璃紀(jì)念品的時(shí)裝店和有露天餐館和咖啡店的廣場(chǎng)。盡管在狹窄的街道上很容易迷路，但沿著建筑物上的許多標(biāo)記，你總能找到通向圣馬克廣場(chǎng)和里亞爾托橋的歸途。

假如你選擇水上觀光，那么就一定不要錯(cuò)過(guò)乘坐浪漫的“貢多拉”了。數(shù)世紀(jì)以來(lái)，“貢多拉”一直是威尼斯的一大傳統(tǒng)。最初，人們用“貢多拉”在狹窄的威尼斯河道上運(yùn)送貨物。如今，“貢多拉”主要是供游客觀光和聚會(huì)。四處逛逛威尼斯的最快捷方式就是坐水上出租車。下雨的時(shí)候，坐水上出租車尤為方便，因其擁有一個(gè)封閉的船艙。乘坐“貢多拉”游覽威尼斯別有一番情趣，它讓你領(lǐng)略到完全不同于步行時(shí)所見(jiàn)到的城市景色。如果晚上你在圣馬克地區(qū)附近散步，可以看到那里有很多“貢多拉”船夫站在橋的附近招攬“貢多拉”水上游生意。

威尼斯的白天與黑夜迥然不同。白天，威尼斯是個(gè)繁忙的城市。河道上穿梭著眾多水上出租車和運(yùn)載船只，而狹窄的街道上則是熙熙攘攘的購(gòu)物者和觀光游客。從早上10點(diǎn)到下午4點(diǎn)是威尼斯最繁忙的時(shí)段。許多游客來(lái)這里都是一日游，下午就離去了。然而，清晨你可以看到威尼斯與眾不同的一面。除了偶爾有個(gè)當(dāng)?shù)厝舜掖亿s去上班外，狹窄的街道是空蕩蕩的。在岸邊，你可以看到在瀉湖中平靜的水面上那一排排的“貢多拉”。早上，圣馬克廣場(chǎng)已被打掃干凈，準(zhǔn)備迎接白天到訪的游客，而鴿子則開始活動(dòng)，試飛到廣場(chǎng)屋頂上。

黃昏時(shí)分，隨著一天快要結(jié)束，你會(huì)發(fā)現(xiàn)人們步速的變化。隨著一日游旅客的離去，水城變得更加平靜和浪漫。乘坐浪漫的“貢多拉”的最好時(shí)間就是在傍晚——運(yùn)載船只都離開狹窄的河道后。當(dāng)你沿著狹窄的街道和廣場(chǎng)漫步時(shí)，你可以聽(tīng)到“貢多拉”船夫的歌聲，還有從露天餐館與咖啡廳傳來(lái)的聲音。晚飯過(guò)后，在圣馬克廣場(chǎng)兩間咖啡廳有露天管弦樂(lè)隊(duì)現(xiàn)場(chǎng)表演，他們會(huì)演奏一些流行的曲子，這時(shí)游客可以品嘗各自的飲品。

威尼斯確實(shí)是一處有許多詩(shī)人和畫家、王子和乞丐、政客和學(xué)者前來(lái)尋找安寧與靈感的地方。這里也是舉行意大利式婚禮的最佳地點(diǎn)。難怪這座城市吸引了一大批情侶前來(lái)慶祝情人節(jié)，它更成為浪漫的巴黎人的熱衷之地。