Venice: Signage

If I was forced to pick a favorite of the five cities we visited in Italy this summer, I would have to say it was Venice. Of course Venice is a totally cliché answer to that question, but everything you've heard or thought about it is true—it's completely magical. My first thought when we arrived was "it's exactly as beautiful as everyone says."

One thing that I hadn't really expected, but was pleased to discover, was the amazing signage that I came across at nearly every turn. Venice doesn't have street signs (or any real standardized way of navigating) so most of the directional signage is painted on the sides of buildings or built into the streets themselves in the form of beautiful mosaics.

Of course, not really knowing the language makes any sign feel even more romantic and special—signs for restaurants, camera stores and gelaterias were all beautiful and unique. The Foto Blitz turned out to be a teeny tiny souvenir store that sold postcards and stamps—not exactly the time warp that I had in mind when I started following all of the vintage signage. I imagine that most of the photo developing signs are leftover from a time when everyone was traveling with film and didn't want to wait to return home before seeing their snapshots.

Even the hand-painted signs above the prison cells in the bottom of the Doge's Palace were incredible, proving that the most unforgiving places can benefit from expert signage. On our last day in Venice, I found myself photographing a sign only to have my uncle point out that it was for a funeral home, which of course made me appreciate it even more.