A relaxing trip on a gondola on the calm waters of a canal surrounded by stunning architecture used to be a treat that could be enjoyed only in Venice, the Italian lagoon.
But in recent years many have been able to replicate the experience in one of the hottest countries in the world, Qatar, distancing more than 2,500 miles from Italy.
The Villaggio Mall in the city of Doha was launched in 2006. The name and interiors of this 1,350,000 square feet shopping centre are heavily inspired by Italy.
But the clearest reminder of Venice comes from its nearly 500-foot-long indoor canal regularly crossed by gondoliers carrying amazed tourists through the mall.
The attraction is entirely indoors and features an artificial sky praised by many Village’s visitors.
One, taking to the tourism website Tripadvisor, wrote: “This mall has the best artificial sky men ever made. The sky, the clouds, the river, are all beautifully made.”
Hailing the Village, a British tourist noted: “This mall has a water feature, that water feature is Venice, complete with gondolas. As I’ve said before, I am a bloke so shopping is not my thing but the shops seem to be the higher end with one area being very high end.
“The ceilings are painted as clouds and do have an effect of moving as you walk. All the shop’s upper facades are built to look like Venetian housing… That keeps this bloke entertained.”
The Villaggio shopping centre isn’t the only place where Venice has been artificially recreated.
The Venetian Resort in Las Vegas famously features Venetian architecture, a replica of the world’s famous Rialto Bridge and gondola rides for people to enjoy while visiting the casino-filled city.
Dalian, in the northeastern Liaoning Province of China, has also replicated the architecture of the lagoon and its canals, and offers visitors rides on gondolas.
