Hundreds of pigeons fill the air and the stones of the Piazza San Marco in a breathtaking freeze-frame — a lone man in a straw hat strides through the chaos while birds wheel past the gilded mosaics of the Basilica and the arcaded Procuratie in the distance, the scene capturing a Venice that still belonged as much to its famous colombi as to its tourists. This superb real-photo postcard (RPPC), published by the respected Milanese house of A. Traldi, carries catalog number 83 in their Venice series and the caption "Piazza S. Marco – Piccioni"; a penciled inscription on the reverse dates it to 1928. The card was never mailed and retains exceptional tonal clarity in the silver-gelatin photograph, with the motion blur of the birds lending a remarkable sense of immediacy.