Ciao Venezia!

You were very lovely and very Italian. Although our first day, we fortunately got by on English. The streets are a labyrinth of endless alleyways and corridors – all of which are beautiful, but very similar. It doesn’t help that every building is at least three stories high, meaning we could not even make out landmarks to see if we were headed in the right direction. It took us an hour and a half to find out hotel, which ended up being behind a church and right on the canal.

One of the first things that stood out to me about Venice was they had a number of shops selling cat-related items. And not like, cat toys, or cat food, but cat-themed merchandise. And also postcards with cats on them. I wasn’t sure what this obsession with cats was, but we didn’t see a single cat in London. As a cat-person, I wasn’t complaining.

Food

• when in Italy, you must have pizza. It’s just that no one informed me that in Italy, pizzas aren’t cut into slices. And that you use your fork and knife to cut up the pizza, as you would cut steak or something. I mean, I was hungry too, so.
• where we stayed included breakfast, and we were served wonderful honey croissants, tea, and cappucinos. Waking up and taking my tea out on the window ledge as church bells rang next door… ahhh.
• having an unsatisfied sweet tooth, and also a limited budget, gelato was had for lunch (more of that “when in Italy…” mindset). It was expensive to eat out in Venice as it was in London, and we knew we weren’t going to find a Sainsbury here.
• It was in Italy where we learned that if we wanted good gelato, to satisfy our cravings by purchasing gelato from places with “artigianale” in their names, meaning “artisan,” aka homemade with real ingredients and authentic.
• While the areas we wandered through in Venice during our stay didn’t have a Sainsbury’s or traditional grocery store per se, there were lots of places to eat, from upscale restaurants right on the canal, to literal hole-in-the-wall places. It was from one of these small, local joints where we picked up something quick to eat for dinner our last night, as we strolled alnong the Canal Grande. I got a slice of margherita, but the gent called it “Pizza Italia.”

Sights

• Unarguably, Venice was beautiful. Everything from the many colors of the buildings, to watching gondolas and boats float down the canal. Even the small plaza our hotel room looked open to. Seeing laundry hung from lines outside and between buildings felt so much more romantic and beautiful than any laundry lines I’ve seen in America.

• It took us two hours to find the Basilica di San Marco from our hotel, even though it was really less than two miles from us. But that was because we got lost. There aren’t exactly street signs everywhere, and I am not exaggerating when I say that everything looks the same. Beautiful, but all the buildings and alleyways are very similar. But through getting lost and wandering, we stumbled upon “The Most Beautiful Bookshop in the World.”
  • Also known as the “Libreria Acqua Alta,” books spamming every subject filled this bookshop, all of its walls, every crevice and its courtyards. It was in one of the courtyards where books were stacked like steps to climb. And to make this bookshop even better, there were cats. We didn’t see a single cat in London, so the fact that 3/4 of us are cat-fans, made this bit of getting lost a little bit more exciting.
  •  I didn’t catch the name of the gentleman who owned the store, but we spoke to him for a bit. He was an older gent, very sweet. It was from him that we learned that during the Plague in Venice, the cats became very important to help control the rat situation. Even after the Plague happened many years ago, cats are still thoroughly admired and loved throughout Venezia. He also told us that if we were all flowers, we would make the most beautiful bouquet. When in Italy…
  • There was even a little nook that opened up right onto the canal with chairs for you to just sit and watch boats go by, or just to take in that Italian summer air.

• • It was free to visit Basilica di San Marco, but be aware that your shoulers and knees have to be covered as a sign of respect. This was a rule we learned that applied to the rest of the churches we visited on our trip. Wraps were sold by the entrance, but some fellow travelers on their way out handed us theirs! We paid it forward and passed our shawls onto others in line who hadn’t known about the bare shoulders rule either.
    • To be honest, I wasn’t crazy about the interior of the Basilica. Granted, a lot of it was under reconstruction, but I just remember it being very dark and very depressing. Piazza San Marco (or St Mark’s Square), where the Basilica is located, I liked a lot, though. There were shops to peruse, live music, restaurants… a lot of hustle and bustle going on (as was to be expected for the main public square of Venice). But it was just such an amazingly beautiful “urban space” if you will, despite all the traffic.
  • The Doge’s Palace is very near to the Piazza and just absolutely stunning. We arrived too late to visit the museum, but it is definitely a must for next time. I just remember falling in love with the architecture of this building in an art history class. I could spend forever taking in all the details of the palace, and to be right on the canal… *swoon*

• If you are a fan of contemporary art as we were, visit the Peggy Guggenheim Collection in Venice (yes, as in that Guggenheim of NYC!!!) Admission is €9 with a student ID.
  • I was so surprised, yet so delighted to learn that this modern art collection existed in Venice. We were not disappointed. We saw works from René Magritte, Salvador Dalí, Yoko Ono, and a personal favorite, Jenny Holzer.

    

• When in Venice, one must go on a gondola ride. Turns out that while it is €80 for a gondola ride during the day, the price is €100, and it is a fixed price throughout Venice, regardless of how many people ride in the gondola. So if you’re traveling solo or as a pair, it wouldn’t hurt to befriend a couple of fellow tourists to split a gondola ride!
  • Despite the fact that we got rained on and our ride was short-lived, it was incredibly relaxing and worth every penny to be able to tour Venice via boat. I only wish our gondelier had sung to us as well. But he did point out a few buildings, including where Marco Polo had lived.

This gondola ride marked our last adventure in Venice. It rained on our last day in London, so it was only tradition. Venice gave me a bit more of that romantic European experience I was looking for. I think our gondelier expressed our feelings about Venice the most appropriately. We are all thumb’s up. Onward to Florence next via train. I couldn’t wait to see what else Italy had to offer.

Ciao, Venezia!