You hear so much about how the gondolas are now an overpriced tourist attraction, but they are so much a part of the enchantment that is Venice. My husband John and I took a ride late one evening, when it is more difficult to find a gondola. Instead of joining a group of gondolas filled with tourists drifting down the Grand Canal, with the mandatory singing of “O Sole Mio,� we asked our gondolier to go down the back canals, which he obligingly did. Soft lamplight fell on waters in narrow canals and at one point the gondolier made a hooting sound as he approached an intersection with another canal. When asked why, he said “It’s like beeping the horn of your car to avoid a collision.� We had an unforgettable ride that evening, one that Betsy seemed to treasure each time she boarded a gondola.

So go to Venice. Don’t look for the crowds, the signs of disrepair, the pricing, the difficulty in obtaining restaurant reservations. Of course it exists. But bring your copy of Betsy and the Great World and let her guide you, as she guided me, to the magic of Venice that is still there today.