“Making the familiar strange”, we say in anthropology – looking at known places as if they were new. Not easy, although the emptiness in this post lockdown Venice helps at the moment – at least by removing the masses of tourists from the sight. But another way of doing this is by obliging oneself to look up and seeing elements in buildings never noticed before, when the gaze was guided by simply being in a rush, and trying to reach a destination as quickly as possible; so shifting the focus from the destination to the journey, even in everyday movement, not just when travelling to new places. And following the footsteps of Corto Maltese also helps. So, there we go.

Here are some random pictures of known and unknown corners of Venice, without really following any of Corto Maltese’s itineraries in the guide to the hidden parts of Venice in full, just bits.