Beautiful pictures capture Venice under blanket of snow

La Serenissima has had a frosty makeover thanks to a cold snap

The Colosseum, Naples’ famous Piazza del Plebiscito and now the Rialto Bridge – the weather may be causing severe disruption to everyday life, but the snow is giving a different viewpoint on some of Italy’s most iconic monuments.

Venice is currently carpeted with snow, and these spellbinding photos show landmarks like Piazza San Marco, the Bridge of Sighs and the island of San Giorgio Maggiore in a completely new light.

The photos were taken by Sebastian Fagarazzi from Venezia Autentica, an initiative that encourages sustainable tourism and aims to halt the exodus of Venetian residents by working with visitors to spend their money responsibly.

Along with his partner Valeria Duflot, Fagarazzi, a Venice native, set up the initiative after his family shop was forced to close down.

Meanwhile, astonishing drone footage of the snowbound city has been captured by a local hotel.

Staff at Bauer Palazzo – a locally owned property on the Grand Canal – captured the bird’s-eye view of the city, sending the drone around the city’s most famous sights, from Piazza San Marco to the Santa Maria della Salute church, designed by Andrea Palladio. The footage continues up to the Cannaregio district.

Fagarazzi told The Independent: “Living in Venice since I was born, I have had the chance to see a few snowfalls over the city before. There was a beautiful one last year, but it only lasted for an hour.

“Something else I remember is when the lagoon and the canals froze about 10 years ago. There was no snow, but seeing frozen canals was something I will never forget.

“Over the years, I have witnessed a few more snowfalls, but they didn’t last long, nor were they particularly intense. This, however, is magnificent.”