Belmond Hotel Cipriani, Venezia
Aman Venice, Venezia
The Gritti Palace, Venezia
Dear Lidia—
In 1947, from the Riva beside Santa Maria della Salute, Venice shines like hammered amber. Tonight the canal bells rang though no boat passed, and a gondolier in a yellow vest slid a sealed envelope under our seat. The wax bore your name, written backwards, as if for someone lost at sea. I followed his gondola into the fog—only the dome of the Salute kept watching. Kiss, Yours,
Marco
Golden waves hold sighs,
Stone arches watch the evening,
Venice sighs in gold,
