This plaque appears on a wall of the Doge’s Palace in Venice. Though Google translate comes up with a decidedly odd translation of the Italian – or is it Latin? – inscription from several hundred years ago, it seems clear that the plaque marks the spot of an office dedicated to investigating and rooting out tax cheats. It is no doubt just coincidence if anything about the sign or the lovely bas-relief of the head of the man has a contemporary ring to it.
The entrance to St. Mark’s Basilica was covered by scaffolding for preservation work of some kind on the day I visited. Given the volume of tourists passing through St Mark’s Square and the famed chuch, maintaining this site must present enormous challenges. In any case, I happily settled for of an image of the top of the western-facing facade of the basilica. Backlighting from a morning sun added a nice touch.
Ponte dei Sospiri or the Bridge of Sighs spans the Rio Del Palazzo, which runs along the side of the Doge’s Palace and St. Mark’s Square. After appearing in court in the Doge’s Palace, convicted prisoners were taken across this bridge to a prison on the other side. As they got their last view of beautiful Venice crossing the bridge, prisoners were known to sigh; hence the name of the bridge. Or so the story goes.