Venice
The Village Italy tour starts in Padova, only a thirty-minute train ride from Venice. All the members of our tour group took advantage of the chance to spend a few days before the tour started in that unique city. Venice is magical. It is not hyperbole to say there is no place like it on earth. We spent a short time there while we were on the Rick Steves Best of Europe tour and it whetted our appetite for more. There are three ways to get to Venice from the airport--bus, taxi, or water taxi. We chose the water taxi because it took us right to St. Mark's Square without any transfers and we had reserved a reasonably priced hotel, the Hotel Ai do Mori, just steps from the square. The hotel was nothing special, but the location was terrific.
After stowing our luggage at the hotel, we forced our way through the mass of humanity to the Accademia Bridge to cross over the Grand Canal to the Dorsoduro district. Even in late September Venice was absolutely packed in the area around St. Mark's and the Rialto. However, a short walk from those hotspots we found we would have the place largely to ourselves.
View down the Grand Canal from the Accademia Bridge
The highlights of the Dorsoduro are the Guggenheim and Accademia art museums, the Santa Maria della Salute church, and Ca' Rezzonico, a restored palazzo, now housing an impressive art collection.
Santa Maria della Salute, commonly referred to as the Salute church, was constructed in 1631 by the people of Venice thanking Mary, the mother of Jesus, for only allowing a third of the city's population to die from an outbreak of the plague.
Peggy Guggenheim's home and art collection are now Venice's pre-eminent modern art museum.
Many of the grand old palazzos through the city have been converted to museums. One of the grandest is Ca' Rezzonico, which is now the museum of 18th century Venice, with paintings, furniture, and sculpture.
Our plan for touring Venice centered on the walking tours recommended in Rick Steves' Venice guidebook. We have had our most enjoyable traveling experiences getting a feel for the places we have visited by immersing ourselves in the neighborhoods by following Rick's walking tours.
The ornate interior of the Accadamia
Our second day in Venice was dedicated to Rick's walking tours of the San Polo district around the Rialto Bridge and the fish market, through the Santa Croce district, and, finally the Cannaregio district, site of the Jewish ghetto. Our fitness trackers showed we walked about 10 miles.
The only 20th century building in Venice--the
train station built by Mussolini.
Frari church interior filled with stunning works
of art including . . .
Donatello's "John the Baptist"
Holocaust Memorial in the Jewish Ghetto
Jewish ghetto scene
You don't see many families living in Venice, but there are still a lot of older people on the backstreets. We saw a woodworker in his shop, an aged opera singer busking for Euros, and another man protesting the large cruise ships undermining Venice's canals.
Before Lent, Venice celebrates Carnival, highlighted by costume balls. The traditional costumes are popular souvenirs all year long.
Away from the busiest tourist areas, everywhere you look there is great beauty. . .
and great gelato.
The best deal in Venice is provided by the United Colors of Benetton people. They have turned the gargantuan post office building near the Rialto Bridge into a high-end shopping center. You can take an elevator to the roof and spend fifteen minutes looking out over the Grand Canal. For free! Pro-tip: you need to reserve your time online.
After dark, St. Mark's Square becomes a concert venue as three of the venerable cafes have small orchestras playing classical and popular music to delight of large crowds.
After twelve hours of sightseeing, 30,000 steps, and 10 miles, this is evidence of the restorative power of good Italian wine.
We spent our third day in Venice seeing the major sights around St. Mark's Square, including the Basilica and the Doge's Palace.
In order to get photos of St. Mark's without an ocean of tourists, we had to get out and start shooting at 5:30. But it was worth it. We had a beautiful sunrise!
Photos inside the Basilica are prohibited, but it's stunning. Try to time your visit for the hour each day the lights are turned on and the gold mosaic tiles glow. Also, be sure to go to the museum on the second floor--you get to go out onto the balcony overlooking the square. It's magnificent!
The Doge's Palace was the seat of the Venetian government when it was the dominant trading power on the earth.
The famous Bridge of Sighs connecting the Doge's Palace to the prison.
The palace had rooms large enough for hundreds of Venetian citizens to meet and participate in governing the city.
The Arsenale where, in its heyday, Venice could produce a fully outfitted warship in a day. Still an Italian naval facility.
San Giorgio Maggiore, designed by the great architect, Palladio, is directly across the lagoon from the Doge's Palace. The bell tower (thankfully) has an elevator and you can get great views like the one at the top of this page.
Our last day in Venice, we took a vaporetto, a water bus, across the lagoon to visit the islands of Murano, Burano, and Torcello. Murano is the home of Venice's famed glass industry. Burano is known for its colorful homes and lace production. Torcello was the first of the islands in the Venetian lagoon to be settled. Largely abandoned because of malarial mosquitos, today it has a couple of restaurants, a hotel with four rooms, and evocative ruins.
Murano looks like a 19th century industrialized version of Venice, befitting its history as the home of Venetian glassworks. It seems as if every other storefront is a shop that sells glass--some of it elegant and very expensive and some kitschy souvenirs. There are a number of very good restaurants, an excellent glass museum, and much smaller crowds than what you'll encounter around St. Mark's.
Incredibly detailed works of art in glass at the glass museum, including the symbol of Murano, a rooster, a city made of glass, and a firepit.
torcello, carrara
Torcello is largely wild and uninhabited. However, we would enthusiastically recommend Villa 600 and its mixed seafood plate for lunch. One of our favorite meals.
Torcello church
Burano is delightful, filled with brightly covered homes and shops. It is known for its laceworks and is home to an interesting lace museum.
Notice the lady sitting in the doorway checking out the action on the street.
Torcello's leading hotel with all of four rooms. However, Queen Elizabeth II was a guest, so we're guessing it's pretty nice.
Torcello bridge and canal
Merletti della Olga lace shop. Be sure to see their own museum in the back.