If, when you think of Venice, Italy, you picture a gondola floating romantically down a canal with a gondolier in black and white stripes and a musician singing Italian love songs…you are exactly right.

Venice is like no other city in the world. The city stretches across 18 small islands in the marshy Venetian Lagoon along the Adriatic Sea in northeast Italy, and it is literally floating on water.

The buildings of Venice are constructed on wood piles that are closely spaced together and were imported from the mainland. The foundations rest on the piles, and buildings of brick or stone sit above these footings.

You won't be seeing any cars while traveling around Venice; it is Europe's largest urban car-free area. Instead of streets, Venice is comprised only of walkways and canals through which boats coast through.

Venice is world-famous for its canals. The 18 islands of the city are formed by about 150 canals in a shallow lagoon and are connected by about 400 bridges. The Grand Canal in Venice has four major bridges - but only three if you ask Venetians. The last bridge, designed by a Spanish architect and engineer based in Switzerland, is largely ignored because the architect is not Italian!

Though a variety of different boats can be seen making their way through the canals in Venice, the classical Venetian boat is the gondola, although it is now mostly used for tourists. Most locals now travel by motorized waterbuses called vaporetti.

However, while the canals and surrounding water that the city lives on contribute to the complete uniqueness and beauty of Venice, it doesn't come without its problems.

During the 20th century, Venice began to subside when many artesian wells were sunk into the periphery of the lagoon to draw water for local industry. The process has slowed since artesian wells were banned in the 1960s, but the city is still threatened by the occasional low-level floods.

Because it is slowly sinking, especially in recent years, today no one is certain how long the city will be on top of the water. When floating through the canals, you can easily notice the sinking process.

Staircases and doorways on the ground floor are now blocked off and no longer useable. Residents are no longer able to inhabit the first levels of their homes and if you wanted to buy a piece of property on the islands, it is said that you would have to pay cash - no banks are willing to give 30-year mortgages for property that might not exist in 30 years.

In the city itself, there are many charming and historical squares and areas, but the most popular and well-known is St. Mark's Square, or Piazza San Marco. Located in the square are famous landmarks like Doge's Palace, St. Mark's Basilica and St. Mark's Clocktower, as well as many other stunning buildings and cafes.

St. Mark's Basilica, the highlight of the Square, is enormous and opulent, and is connected to Doge's Palace. St. Mark's is one of 150 churches in Venice because every time the Black Death was thought to be "beaten" in the 14th century, the people of the city would build a new house of worship. Now there is one on just about every corner!

It is in St. Mark's Square that you will experience one of the most well-known aspects of the area - the pigeons. Tourists can be seen across the entire square feeding and posing for photos with the flocks of pigeons that descend on the square. Also in the square are piles of large table-like planks that can be set up as walkways during the flooding that occurs in Venice every year. St. Mark's Square is the lowest point of the city, and therefore the first to flood with each high water from storms in the nearby sea.

You will also find an abundance of designer stores, from Versace to Valentino to Prada, and more, along the footpaths of Venice, not to mention local shops selling Venetian glass.

Glass blowing is another trait that Venice is known for. Venetians use large ovens to heat the glass before the quickly mold it into shapes and forms, from an exotic-looking vase to a glass horse.

A trip to a glass-blowing factory is a must while in the city, along with a gondola boat ride and some downtime to admire the beautiful architecture and churches of the city, especially in St. Mark's Square.

Just watch out for swooping pigeons!