An early start was the order of the day, to get to the ‘Rialto Markets’ before the hoards of shoppers descended on the stalls, and while the market traders set up stall.

As the sun rises in the morning on the streets, walking to the Markets via the Rialto Bridge, it was like watching a city come to life. In the two hours I spent from leaving the hotel, to returning, the streets had gone from deserted to all the hustle and bustle you would expect in any of the world’s capital cities.

The Market workers are far too busy to be bothered with photographers, they are engaged solely on the preparation of their stall, and of the produce for the days customers. You do have to remember though, that these people are working, and you are in their territory. That said I found them friendly enough, but I am far from some paparazzi style snapper. I never stayed at the markets long enough for the stalls to get busy with customers, but that gives me an excuse to go back in the future ;o)

There are easier ways to discover that a museum is closed than spending the morning walking there. Note,the Peggy Guggenheim Museum is closed on a Tuesday. With that being the case, the next destination was a browse around the ‘Castello’ region. This covers the most eastern part of the city, and the more east you go in the region, the more the tourists are outnumbered by the locals. The region also home to some quirky window displays in the residential areas. No tacky souvenir shops here, although what message exactly the home owners were trying to achieve was lost on me. This display was somewhat scary …

The rest of the days images can be browsed in the collection below …

Gulls wait poised to pounce on any scraps of fish at the Venice Fish Market

Fish on display at the Venice Fish Market

Fish on display at the Venice Fish Market

An early start for a shopkeeper, sweeping the nights detritus away from the front of his shop

Builders on thier way to work on the canals of Venice

A Venitian deliver man checks the stock against the order near the Venice Markets

An early morning siesta for a market trader

A market trader prepares an order for delivery in to the myriad of restaurants and food stalls of Venice

A Venitian local walks past the Market Stalls, unaware of my camera, or the binmen loading the previous days refuse on to a barge

The bin men await the arrival of the previous days waste from the City of Venice, so it can be loaded in to a barge, and taken away for disposal

Shrimps on a Fish Stall, Venice Fish Market

Fishmongers prepare the latest catch in readiness for sale at the Venice Fish Market

A fishmonger sharpens his blade in readiness to prepare the latest catch for sale at the Venice Fish Market

Squid cover the counter at Fish Stall, Venice Fish Market

Sardines lie in wait on a basket, Venice Fish Market

A fishmonger prepares Octopus on the Market Stalls within Venice Fish Market

A barrow deposited in sunlight awiats its next operation, Venice Fish Market

The sun creeps up over the market, as the stalls are prepared for the days trade

Fishmongers prepare the latest catch in readiness for sale at the Venice Fish Market

A stall, almost ready for a days trade, Venice Fish Market

Rush hour approaches on the Grand Canal, Venice.

Back Entrance, Venice Fish Market

An early customer beats the crowds at the Fruit and Veg stalls, Venice Markets

A fresh delivery of fish is taken in to the back enterance of a restaurant, whic a barrow of muscles waits to be taken to its new owner

A Venitian bin man waits his turn to unload a barrow of trash from the City of Venice

Venice is very much a working city, with everyone going about thier business oblivious to everyone else

Delivery men in Venice’s Market region work hard delivering all kinds of produce ro bars and restaurants

Fishmonger, Venice Fish Market, Rialto Markets

A broom, and a makeshift stoll hide outside the back of a restaurant kitchen in Venice

An elderly Italian man makes an early morning call, probably to his dearest

An elderly Italian man makes an early morning call, probably to his dearest

Basilica di Santa Maria della Salute dominates the Skyline on the Grand Canal, Venice.

Grand Canal, Venice as seen from the Accademia bridge

Ponte dell’Accademia stretches from Dorsoduro to San Marco across the Grand Canal

A Venitian delivery driver ponders his next delivery. This Gentleman stood here for a minute or so, seemingly lost in his own thoughts

A veiw of San Marco Campanile from the Grand Canal

Soprintendenza Archeologia, belle arti e paesaggio per il Comune di Venezia e Laguna and San Marco Campanile from the Grand Canal

Washing Hangs in the Street in the Castello Region of Venice

Soprintendenza Archeologia, belle arti e paesaggio per il Comune di Venezia e Laguna and San Marco Campanile from the Grand Canal

An elderly Italian man refills plastic bottles of water from a Water Fountain

A rather bizzare window display, at a house in the Castello Region, Venice

A rather bizzare window display, at a house in the Castello Region, Venice

Unknown Street, Venice

The entrance to the Venice branch of the Communist Party

Washing day for a Venitian Gondalier

Reflections from the Grand Canal as the sun silhouettes Church of San Giorgio Maggiore, Venice

Relaxing, Rio de l’Arsenal

A view of the Grand Canal from the Shade of an archway, Venice

The towers of Venetian Arsenal, Arsenale di Venezia

A local in Venice hangs out the days washing

Intricate brickwork and ironwork at Venetian Arsenal, Arsenale di Venezia

A viw down Rio de S. Lorenzo showing the tower or Sacra Arcidiocesi Ortodossa d’Italia e Malta

A viw down Rio de S. Lorenzo showing the tower or Sacra Arcidiocesi Ortodossa d’Italia e Malta