Even though it has been painted, photographed, written about and filmed more than any other city in the world, nothing can prepare you for the first powerful impact of Venice - it may be the gondola down the Grand Canal when the city is enveloped in the mists of winter, or when the setting of the summer sun bathes the city in the magical pinks, blues and golds so beloved by artists such as Titian, Veronese and Canaletto, but it is guaranteed that your first impressions will be memorable.

Few cities can offer such artistic richness as Venice. For many cnturies, as the gateway to the Orient and under the medieval leadership of the Doges, the city ruled as a world capital and a mighty sea power, and its immense wealth was celebrated in art and architecture throughout the city. Today, with the glories of this heritage evident at every turn, you could easily mistake Venice for a painting come alive, a stage set full of real people, an open-air museum.

Venice is no museum, but rather a living and fragile city; a miracle of survival despite its decaying foundations, the encroaching water and rising silt. Although, contrary to popular belief, it is officially 'no longer sinking', its ominously tilting bell-towers stand as testimony to the city's ephemerality, as concerns mount about increasing levels of pollution from nearby industrial towns, which are irreperably corroding the city's ancient stonework. This is to say nothing of the rapidly dwindling population, as modern houses, jobs, plans for a metro and other attempts to preserve Venice for the Venetians clash with those aimed at preserving the city for posterity.

When we leave Venice, our memories will not only be of its beauty and art treasures, but also of city life - pasta alfresco in a peaceful sun-splashed piazza; the gentle swaying of gondolas tied to gaily striped mooring poles; the sights and scents of local markets; buildings reflected in the still water of the canals, shop windows brimming with Carnival masks and dazzling glass displays; or even St Mark's Square flooded on a high tide. For this is the magic of Venice, which entices devoted visitors back year after year to La Serenissima - the 'most serene', and captivating, city in the world.