Island of eternal rest

Venice (Italy), June 2015

Of all the wondrous and -- literally -- extra-ordinary sights Venice holds in store for the earthbound traveller, the view of the cemetary island of San Michele, as seen here from the city looking north-east, may not be the most renowned or the most magnificent, but it is one that grows on you, exerting a quiet fascination. San Michele is a necropolis on water, the main cemetary of the Serenissima since burial on the main Venetian islands was decreed unsanitary at the end of the 18th century. It happened to be a perfect combination of hygienist concerns and symbol-making : with its cypresses and discreet architecture, distant from the city but always in sight, the island, both welcoming and intimidating, is a sobering memento mori.