A book-prize competition in Writing Magazine last September offered two copies of the Lonely Planet Travel Writing as prizes. Entrants were invited to write a brief piece (maximum 250 words) that captured the atmosphere of a place they had visited overseas.
The winning entry came from Lynne Chiswick from Clare, Sudbury, Suffolk, with her descriptive piece on Venice:
Everything had taken on a magical new light that morning and the view from the small bridge that crossed the Rio de Due Torri stopped me in my tracks.
Tall apartment buildings loomed upwards from the rio, their crumbling, sun-baked walls revealing centuries of plasterwork and providing a watercolouristÕs palette with umbers, siennas, sepia and ochres. It was the personification of the decaying opulence that is Venice.
From a washing line, stretched between two buildings high above the water, a red chequered tablecloth fluttered gaily in the light breeze. Alongside, rusting ornamental balconies, their window boxes spilling over with deepest red geraniums, transformed the scene into a painting.
I turned to the right and the visual feast continued.
At the end of the Calle del Ravano, I could see the Grand Canal, covered in an early morning, gauzy light which reflected off the stunning palazzos opposite and shimmered their pastel colours into the lapping grey waters below.
The distant tolling of a church bell echoed round the canals as an old vaporetto trudged past, ploughing its way through an assortment of small boats carrying crates, provisions and building materials. And, in between, sleek black gondolas propelled by men in stripy tops and straw hats steered spellbound travellers along magical waterways with their distinctive sweet-sour, pungent smell.
If I was ever kidnapped and set down blindfold in Venice, I would know instantly where I was. And, I have to admit, I wouldnÕt make the slightest attempt to escape!
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| Second prize winner was Vikki Wright, from Arua in Uganda, and copies of the Lonely Planet Travel Writing have been sent to both winners.
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