On the Sly

Unlike Rome, where you can take pictures in all the most beautiful churches and famous museums, even St. Peter's Basilica and the Vatican Museums (Sistine Chapel being the only exception) Venice is not very "photographers friendly". No pictures inside the Basilica, nor in the Doge's Palace, or in the museums, or in most of the chuches... I perfectly understand the flashlight to be prohibited. Dangerous for the artworks and unpleasant for your fellows visitors. But in Venice the photographer is hunted. The paradox is that almost everybody can make a picture with a telephone or with a compact camera without being seen. And obviously they don't hesitate to do it. But whent you own a noisy "reflex camera" it's almost impossible to go unnoticed. But sometimes I try my luck, shooting without aiming when there is no guard around. It never gives a great result, and you can be scolded by the guard. But well, "A vaincre sans péril, on triomphe sans gloire" would say this old Corneille.