In the garden of an abandoned monastery, on an ancient cemetery island in the Venetian Lagoon, I found myself surrounded by life. A man bustled past with a wheelbarrow full of brambles; two women sat on the ground, tending to flowering grapevines about to burst into fruit.

Preparations were afoot on the Isola di San Michele for Venice's festival season, and Laguna nel Bicchiere, a non-profit organisation devoted to the propagation of Venetian viticulture, would be providing the wine.