Little Venice

02. Little Venice

Welcome!

Little Venice has put quite a bit of effort into their recreation, it seems. While most other sectors feel somewhat hollow, Sector II is warm and inviting. As you enter via tube shuttle, your train-car dips into the water. The doors slide open; several gondolas await. It costs a small fee to enter without a Sector II identification card, but it may seem worth it just for the experience of entering such an old-fashioned beauty. Each boat is manned by a person dressed head-to-toe in skintight black-and-white striped swimsuits, and they are all equipped with a standard metallic oar...ending in a spear on top. Occasionally during a ride throughout the sector, you’ll see them dive gracefully from the boat into the waterways, returning with a speared fish which you can pay to keep. It’s more of a novelty than anything...probably, anyway. The fish in these canals are imported from Sector X, Little Sydney, after all.

When you enter the gondola, which holds up to four visitors, you can choose to tour the sector through its canals or simply be let off at one of its several sandalwood docks to explore at your own necessity or leisure.

If you take the tour, you’ll be taken through the five intersecting waterways of the sector. These waterways seem to be used to distribute food out to the other sectors, somehow. Each one has beautiful paved stone archways throughout, providing walking paths for those traversing on foot. Passing under one, you would be disappointed not to find chilled relief in its shadow. To recreate the original country’s climate, artificial heat is pumped into the sector by thousands of disguised heaters, so therefore, shade won’t do much for you! You will be taken through two of the waterways, as only two at a time are kept open for tourists. From your gondola, you will be able to view the colorful buildings above, small brick buildings interspersed between various vivid hues of wooden houses, restaurants, and stores, predominantly delis, bakeries, butcher shops, and the like. When the tour is finished, you will be taken to the nearest dock and released.

Whether or not you take the tour, the dock you are let onto floats gently atop the water. It is connected by several strong ropes to several more platforms that combine into stairs up to the stone sidewalks. Seems there’s no real road; travel is by waterway only. As you climb the stairs, you may note a motif on the platforms--the insignia of Little Venice seems to be a star surrounded by a cerulean circle. This repeats several times, be it on storefronts, doors, welcome mats, clothing of the citizens, or even the multicolored awnings over several doorways. Is this place full of literal stars...? Either way, the area is absolutely beautiful. You can enter any sort of restaurant or food service store you could possibly imagine with relative ease, it seems. Those you bump into in Little Venice are incredibly outgoing.

The citizens of Sector II are another stark contrast to the former country of Italy, before the Reconstruction. Most are pale like the majority of the population; on occasion, you’ll see the rare wealthy person who can afford a shoddy spray tan. It’s noticeable from a mile away; they want that. As for their actual personalities: the Little Venicians are incredibly friendly, and they are easily able to connect to others and form friendships. They dress in pastel swimsuits or high-cut shorts and optional light shirts most, if not all of the time. Even at serious events, or when traveling to other sectors, they keep their traditional dress, even if it is inconvenient or inappropriate. Despite all this, while carefree, they seem a bit vapid. They know their importance to the New World Order, and they rely on it...a bit too much, in the eyes of some! Nevertheless, you will be made welcome here.

A warm “ciao” to you! Welcome to Sector II: Little Venice!