This narrow lane near the borders of Venice's [Castello] and Cannargio districts is one of many that the bus-tour-as-usual overlooks. With St. Mark's Basilica as a backdrop, a waiter balances drinks destined for a cloth-covered tabletop in Venice's Piazza San Marco. In the early morning, the Gondola Basin behind Piazza San Marco is packed with idle boats. [Rick Steves]. A gondolier begins a crisp November morning reading an Italian newspaper along the wharves. Behind him, the boat traffic in San Marco Basin is already off to a busy start. Tribune photos by [Toni Stroud]. (Book cover.)