Kiki’s Delivery Service

A man carries a woman on his back through the flooded St. Mark’s Square in Venice, Italy. Photo: Flavio Lo Scalzo/Reuters.

The Drowned World

St Mark’s Square in downtown Venice, Italy is submerged by more than one metre of water. Photo: Simone Padovani/Awakening/Getty Images.

The Importance of Not Being Arcovazzi

The floods did not dampen the romance for one couple in Piazza San Marco in Venice, Italy. Photo: Stefano Mazzola/Awakening/Getty Images.

The Merchant of Venice

High waters flood the Piazza San Marco in Venice, Italy. Photo: Riccardo Gregolin/EPA.

Masks and Mirrors

Venice, Italy: People dressed in masks and period costumes take part in the Venice carnival. Photo: Alberto Pizzoli/AFP/Getty Images.

Wisdom tooth

Vincenzo Castaldi – Eugenio Szabados
3rd International Tournament; Venice, October 1948
Sicilian Defence B53

Notes by Grandmaster Andrew Eden Soltis, “Chess Lists second edition” Jefferson, McFarland & Company, 2002, p. 110.

The six-time Italian champion (off and on from 1936 to 1959) [Vincenzo Castaldi] failed to reach his potential in part because of the demands of his practice as a dentist. His skill was illustrated at Venice 1948, one of the strongest tournaments of the 1940s, where he beat Max Euwe and Karel Opočenský and won the following: 1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Qxd4 Nc6 5. Qd2 Nf6 6. Bd3 g6 7. c4. An original system (in 1948). White’s last four moves were awarded exclamation points in the tournament book – which didn’t mention the possibility of 6. ... d5! or 7. ... Bg4. 7. ... Bg7 8. Nc3 a6 9. 0-0 Bg4 10. Ne1 Ne5 11. Nc2! Be6 12. b3 Nxd3 13. Qxd3 0-0 14. Bb2 Rc8 15. Nd4 Bd7 16. Rad1 Qa5 17. Rfe1 Qh5 18. h3 Rc5 19. f4 Qh4 20. Nf3 Qh5 21. Qf1! Preparing to embarrass the Queen with g2-g4. 21. ... Be6 22. Re2 b5 23. cxb5 axb5

24. e5! dxe5 25. Rxe5! Rxe5 26. fxe5 Nd7 27. g4! Bxg4! 28. hxg4 Qxg4+ 29. Qg2 Qxg2+ 30. Kxg2 Nxe5 31. Nxb5 Ng4 32. Bxg7 Ne3+ 33. Kg1! Kxg7. Black only has two Pawns for the piece and White’s technique is more than sufficient to make that count. 34. Re1 Nd5 35. a4 Rc8 36. Nfd4 f6 37. Ne6+ Kf7 38. Nec7! Nb4. Or 38. ... Nxc7 39. Rc1. 39. Re4 Nc6 40. b4 f5 41. Rc4 Ne5 42. Rc3 Rd8 43. a5 f4 44. a6 f3 45. a7 Rd1+ 46. Kf2 Rd2+ 47. Ke1! f2+ 48. Kf1 Ng4 49. Rf3+ 1 : 0.

Kneeling on the red carpet

73rd Venice International Film Festival: Swedish actor Alicia Vikander obliges the photographers on the red carpet before the premiere of “The Light Between Oceans” on Thursday night. Photo: Filippo Monteforte/AFP/Getty Images.

贡多拉 (Gondola)

Venice, Italy, February 3, 2014. From left: Antonio Rosino, 侯逸凡 (Hóu​ Yì​fán) and Fernando. Photo: 王茜 (Wáng Qiàn).

镜框式舞台 (Proscenium)

Venice, February 3, 2014. Antonio Rosino & 侯逸凡 (Hóu​ Yì​fán). Photo: 王茜 (Wáng Qiàn).

The Anonymous Venetian

Venice, February 3, 2014. Two in a Gondola: Antonio Rosino & 侯逸凡 (Hóu​ Yì​fán). Photo: LoA.

Or le bagna la pioggia e move il vento (Now they are drenched with rain and driven by the winds)

Venice, Italy, Monday, February 3, 2014. 林丽丽 (Lín Lìlì) is literally shivering from cold.