Venice, Market Boats

In addition to the fruit and vegetable markets in piazzas around the city, market boats deliver daily rations to homeowners along the canals. On more than one occasion we have watched a bucket or basket (complete with thousands of Lire) being lowered by rope from an upper-story apartment. Instructions and negotiations are shouted, the goods (and change) are loaded into the conveyance and pulled back upstairs.

Sometimes a basket, lowered from an upper-story window, is treated as a mail-box by the postman who blows a whistle to announce his arrival.

But one time we watched a basket being lowered with no sign of anyone at street level. Imagine our surprise when a small dog got out of the basket, did his business, got back in the basket for the ride home, provided by his mistress.