I watched her go from the kitchen window, saw her join the gaggle of widows, each carrying a large box or basket of food. They were not going to starve, that was clear. Then I saw that she had laid out slices of ham, salami, tomatoes, cheese and olives on a plate for me, and next to them a slice of some sort of quiche, and some plums. I packed the food and waited until I thought the events would start before I put my own hat on. It was going to be hot sitting in the sun. Not wanting to carry too much, I put the keys and a little money into the pocket of my dress and left my handbag and wallet at home. I presumed occasions like this might be a field day for pickpockets, and they weren’t going to get much from me.

The streets were almost deserted as I came out to the piazza in front of Santo Stefano. I looked up and noticed for the first time that all the balconies were decorated with garlands, paper lanterns, flowers. When I crossed the Accademia Bridge, a steady stream of boats was coming up the Grand Canal, most of them decorated, too, all crammed full of people already eating, drinking and merrymaking. As I stood watching the spectacle below me, I saw that clouds were building over the mainland. This was not unusual for this time of year. The clouds gathered over the Dolomites, but rarely did the storms reach us out on the island.

I made my way across the sestiere of Dorsoduro to the waterfront known as the Zattere. It was strange, but I had never crossed to this side of Dorsoduro, even though it was quite a narrow sliver of land. The Zattere was a promenade that ran beside a wide waterway—too wide, really, to be called a canal. On the other side was the island of Giudecca, usually only accessible by ferry. Only today the canal was spanned by a makeshift bridge. Barges were lined up across the canal, and a wooden walkway had been laid over them. It looked rather precarious to me. The bridge terminated at a lovely white facade of a church, facing the waterfront. From my reading, I knew the style was referred to as Palladian—sort of neoclassical with columns. Behind it the rest of the church was that warm pinkish orange and had a large dome.