Maggie in Venice

ABOVE: The main street entrance of the Palazzina Grassi, a boutique hotel where Johnny Depp is reported to be staying during the filming of The Tourist with Angelina Jolie.

...Just as important, did Johnny Depp see Maggie?

That's the question that has Venice (or at least our insignificant little corner of Venice) buzzing today.

This morning, Cheryl took Maggie on a long walk, as usual. The two happened to stroll past Johnny Depp's Venice digs to take a photo of the Calle Bernardo, a street on the opposite bank of the Grand Canal where we often walk Maggie to check out the morning and nighttime boat traffic. 

As Cheryl and Maggie approached a tinted glass door on the hotel's street side, Maggie pulled strongly toward the door, which was straight ahead. 

Cheryl looked up and saw a man of medium height with glasses, a short moustache, and a goatee looking out at her and Maggie. She shrugged at the man, and then she wondered: "Could that be Johnny Depp?" Unfortunately for our readers, Cheryl isn't a hardened paparazza, and she was too polite to grab a snapshot at pointblank range.

Now for a confession: We've been somewhat tongue-in-cheek in our reports about a "celebrity-sniffing service dog," but in the last several days, Maggie has led us to Johnny Depp's hotel (see our earlier post with photos) and to a man who either is Johnny Depp or looks very much like him. 

Does Maggie have a gift for tracking movie stars? Johnny, if you're reading this, Maggie would very much like to know if that really was you staring out of the Hotel Palazzina Grassi at a shaggy dog and a lady in a dark grey coat with a purple hat. You can reach Maggie by e-mailing: maggie [at] europeforvisitors.com.

BELOW: Maggie sniffs the new privacy screen that hides the Palazzina Grassi's water entrance from the Ramo Grassi on Venice's Grand Canal.