La Serenissima is an old title for the city of Venice. Visit as Winter turns to Spring, mists form on the lagoon, and the acqua alta gradually subsides. Especially visit at Carnival time when the city comes alive in its tradition of dressing up in the finest brocades, fur and jewellery to celebrate Mardi Gras and the arrival of Lent. Take a vaporetto ride to the outlying islands of Murano and Burano noted for glass and lace making and the wonderful colours of the painted houses reflected in the canals. Glimpse the world renowned landmarks on the Grand Canal at sunrise and in the evening. Venice is possibly at its most romantic at night when the gondolas bob in the waters of the Grand Canal and the palazzi are lit in the way that they were probably illuminated in the city's decadent heyday.