Book hunter

This stuff is just too good. 

We vowed to not waste even a minute of our exploring, tasting, and shopping time.

So, I did my homework before we left and read about la libreria, or a bookstore, called Alta Acqua.

This is not your typical "Barnes and Noble"...a vine covered, narrow entrance brought me into a bookworms wonderland.

Bookshelves are old school—gondolas are in.

All the books are stored, stacked, and stuffed in old gondolas—this is not just to give a Venetian vibe or a certain je ne sais quoi (pardon my French in my Italian post), but to actually protect the books for when the water from the canals rise and flood the store.

 (side note; flooding is very common in Venice).

Being the classical literature/book geek I am, I was set on finding a Dante Alighieri's The Divine Comedy—my criteria was it had to be beautifully old and in Italian...well I sure went to the right place.

After shifting through a couple stacks I hit gold—a white leather cover, gold etching, old Italian, Dante.

I could have spent hours sorting through the books in Alta Acqua, but we were on a time schedule and Venice was waiting for us. 

I highly recommend if you ever happen to be wandering in Venice, to swing by this gem of a store to pick up a book, climb the book staircase, or pet one of the many lounging cats, you won't regret this pit stop.

-Alex