An impulsive three day visit to Venice between Christmas and New Year taught me much about how magical Venice is in any season – and how cold a northern hemisphere winter can be.

Cashmere is the staple at this time – for turtleneck sweaters and scarves to keep the cold from seeping beneath jacket collars.  The humble beanie is the perfect accessory to a cashmere ensemble.  Forget chic caps or stylish soft-brimmed fedoras; only the beanie can be pulled down over exposed ears and snuggle up to a cashmere scarf at the neck. A big thumbs up from me!

Still keen to stand on the open deck of a vaporetto to capture snaps of the winter sights along the Grand Canal, it was surprising how icy cool the air was over water.  But the chill factor was definitely worth it to see one of Venice’s large Christmas trees shining brightly on the forecourt of the magnificent Santa Maria della Salute. This is exactly what I had hoped to see!

As I came to realise even in three days, winter is the perfect time to discover other Venetian gems that aren’t apparent in summer.  One such discovery was the Ristorante ai Barbicani, a short stroll across a canal from Campo Santa Maria Formosa.  The charm of this restaurant was lost on me in the summer without space for al-fresco dining, yet how delightful to enter its warm embrace in winter and enjoy a delicious seafood meal beside a cosy, open wood fire!

Venice’s other winter reveals: an expanse of snow-topped mountains across the lagoon illuminated by a brilliant sunrise that added to Venice’s wintry sparkle; ice-skating in San Polo; Christmas markets, mulled wine and nutella pancakes in San Stefano, and the many twinkling Christmas lights suspended across canals, calles and campos.

What took my breath away was not the cold weather, but the many unexpected and utterly delightful images and experiences of Venice in winter.