This is something I wrote back when we visited Venice Italy back in 2017.
It is Saturday evening here in Venice and the adventure continues. Our time here is Venice is coming to a close. After checking into the apartment Thursday afternoon, it was out to the Grand Cannel for a ride on the Vaperatto (water bus) through the center of Venice. We wandered the streets and alleyways to find a restaurant for dinner. Friday was all about exploring, from St. Mark’s cathedral to the Doges’ Palace to wandering the entire length of the Grand Canel. Saturday found us heading out to the island of Murano to see the Glass Blowing museum with a stop on San Michele, which is the cemetery for the city of Venice.
Some thoughts on the city of Venice:
If somebody offers to sell you a map of the city, laugh at them and walk away. This is a city made for wandering. We used a map once and that was only to find a specific restaurant.
Buy a pass for the public transportation system. It covers all the Vaporetto's and the bus to and from the airport.
If you will be spending more than one day in Venice, stay on the island. It is busy and hectic during the day with tourist and cruise ship passengers. It is in the evening when the heart and soul of the city comes alive. There is nothing like spending two or three hours sitting in a square enjoying wine, dinner, conversation, dessert and did I mention wine? Eating out in Europe is always at a slower, more relaxed pace than it is in America. Venice takes the experience to an art form. Oh, did I mention the wine?
If you are going to take a gondola ride, do it in the evening and away from the Grand Cannel. It is a little more expensive in the evening, but worth the view and atmosphere. The experience is what you have built up in your head from watching movies and reading the romance novels.
Finally, I don’t think I have felt safer in a large city. It feels more like the small town I grew up in rather and a large cosmopolitan city.
As I said, our time here in Venice is coming to a close. Tomorrow morning we check out and drop our daughter off at the airport so she can return to London and her yearlong adventure of living and working there. We pick up the rental car and head to Tuscany to explore the Italian countryside. We will be meeting up with friends from home in Florence for a tour of the city and dinner.
Until next time …..
