On my way to Venice, with “acqua alta” there, I was wearing an old pair of Hunter rain boots a friend had given me. It occurred to me that Venice would be a great place to look for beautiful rain boots. I envisioned a pair of rain boots so chic that I could wear them in fashion forward Florence and feel good. Black waterproof boots with suede and some kind of interesting detail came to my mind. When I passed a shop window and saw these boots, I did the happy dance!

Of course they looked better in the shop window than on my kitchen counter! Here is a photo of the detail on the rain boots. I LOVE them!

Venice was just as I remembered it from a few years ago, but even in the off season it was crowded, and the shopping wasn’t nearly as good as in Florence. Except for the rain boots that is!

Chia had a great time, and met some nice gondoliers, who were having their lunch in the ristorante where we eating.

My friend, Chippie, said that she wanted to find a gondolier sweater like theirs, but we couldn’t find the real thing, only the souvenir ones. It was interesting to note that the real gondolier shirts came in many different styles and fabrics: crewneck sweaters, polo shirts, turtlenecks, etc. but all with the distinctive black and white stripes. We asked if we could take a photo of them with their hats on too, and they were amenable!

It was raining here in Florence today, so I was able to wear my new rain boots. Several people told me how much they liked the boots, and now I am thinking I should import them to rainy Seattle!