Delicately wrought masks, a Venetian specialty, make great, and inexpensive, souvenirs. [Photo by Mark Graham/China Daily]

From the ramparts, the often-baffling street-level geography of Venice begins to make some sense. On a clear day, the entire lagoon and its criss-crossing patchwork of major and minor canals are on view.

One particular canal crossing, the Bridge of Sighs, is endlessly photographed. Convicted prisoners were led in chains across the bridge to the city jail and, understandably, let out long sighs of anguish at the prospect of years in a fetid cell, or an imminent date with the executioner's block. The most famous escapee from within these stone walls was a nobleman well versed in the art of subterfuge and trickery—the famous lothario Casanova.

Intrigue aside, it was canny merchant trading that brought vast wealth to Venice, enough to fund a well-equipped navy that could be used to repel would-be invaders or embark on expansionist expeditions in nearby Adriatic waters.

The only contemporary aggression comes from gondolier touts, flogging their hour-long punts around the canals for amounts akin to a weekly wage in many jurisdictions.

The starting price for a quick gondola ride is around $100, much more if a singer and accordionist come aboard to drum up a few romantic melodies. To pop aficionados unschooled in the subtleties of Italian arias, all the tunes seem to sound remarkably like variations of the Elvis Presley hit It's Now Or Never.

Dodgy crooning notwithstanding, there is something incomparably romantic about being propelled slowly through the narrow canals, past the crumbling houses and under the narrow arches of bridges. Nighttime expeditions through the canals come with an extra frisson of mystery ... spooky dark corners, flickering street-lamps, oddly shaped shadows and the eerie splish-splash of the boatman's oar hitting the water.

A cheaper, more practical and—let's be frank—less refined way of exploring the nautical nooks and crannies of this glorious city is by ferry.