The assignment for this week is to compile a set of images to illustrate the gap between how we expect things to be and how they actually are. I’ve drawn on my travels with pictures that illustrate the often adverse effect of tourism.
- The Mona Lisa in the Louvre, a stock picture and how I saw it in 1988. I imagine the viewing conditions are rather better now, though the crowds no less intense.
- The Piazza San Marco, described by Napoleon as ‘the most elegant drawing room in Europe. I compare the early morning quiet with the crush outside the basilica later in the day.
- The view Giudecca Canal, from Hilton Molino Stucky compared with the Rio Santa Margherita, Venice, contrasting the size not only of the boats but also the buildings.
