I was in Venice last week. I’m afraid to say that it looks a bit different.

In the middle of the picture above you can just make out the Bridge of Sighs – it’s the thing in the middle that isn’t an advert for a bank.

Below is the Museo Correr end of St Mark’s Square.

After picking myself up, I went to the Migropolis exhibition which made me think a little differently about these apparent acts of cultural vandalism.

One of the themes of the exhibition was Venice’s identity as a truly global city and marketplace. For 1000 years it has been a trade centre and the meeting place between East and West. While in medieval times, this might have meant Arab merchants with galleys full of spices, today it is about glassware and masks made in China, Somalians with fake Gucci bags and — yes — real Gucci bags. Venice has always been a shop front, a meeting place between rich western customers and eastern traders. There’s something strangely apt about the advertising hoardings on the sides of the city’s famous landmarks.

Looked at from a slightly different perspective, it’s potentially the city’s quintessential expression.

I also learned about this:

It’s the Venetian: a resort hotel in Macau, filled with facsimiles of the original’s famous landmarks and canals – it’s apparently the largest building in Asia. I don’t know if you can see it from space, but wouldn’t be surprised. The Migropolis exhibition noted that the original city risks being replaced by this and the Las Vegas version — they get the shopping done more conveniently and efficiently for all parties.

PS. If you’re interested, I’d recommend a dip into Against Venice, a splendid rant against the city as a kind of Euro-Disney for snobs. I love Venice, personally, but it never harms to read a different perspective.