Friends had suggested a lovely weekend in Venice. I was really excited and guess I didn’t ask too many questions as they had organised accommodation and things to do.
So we headed off for the short flight to Venice on Friday early evening. On boarding I was asked for my passport. Passport….oops I hadn’t brought that. I assumed that as the flight was within Italy, ID and my ticket was all I would need. Even with much pleading etc there was no way they would let me board. My friends boarded and waved goodbye with a “see you in Venice when you get there”.
So back I went to my accommodation in Rome. As there were no more flights that day I decided to check out the train options for the following morning. I booked the Eurostar (highly recommended over the Intercity trains) via Trenitalia . The trip only took 3.5 hours and I arrived right in the heart of Venice at the Santa Lucia station (make sure you don’t get a train that only stops at Venice Mestre, the mainland. This proved to be a great solution as it was such a relaxing trip, looking at the gorgeous views and reading a little on the way.) My friends were waiting and the weekend could now begin.
They took me to the great little hotel where they had booked a single room for me. On arrival the owner told me, that as I was on my own and as they had plenty of vacancies, they would upgrade me (at no cost) to a lovely one bedroom apartment overlooking the canal. The view was absolutely gorgeous. (add picture)
We then had a lovely lunch in one of the little restaurants along the crowded, bustling streets (great for people watching). Then we took a guided Venice Island tour: Murano, Burano and Torcello . What delightful islands, all so different. One famous for it’s cute different little coloured houses, one for the fabulous glass blowing and the other for the lace making. Great to see a different side of Venice as well.
After that a great stroll through the canals to St Mark’s square where we had a visit inside the Golden Basilica. This is such an interesting church with its beautiful mosaics and 12 th century marble pavements (which has subsided in places making the floor quite uneven. San Marco’s body is within the sarcophagus beneath the alter. Quite an experience even with the crowds. (be sure to cover your shoulders, so bring a shawl in summer months).
That evening we enjoyed a wonderful Bellini cocktail in the famous Harry’s Bar which topped off what had been a wonderful day. Wonderful atmosphere and it did not disappoint after hearing such rave reviews. A little crowded though.
The next morning we had a tour of the Doge’s Palace and a walk through what used to be the prison cell of the infamous Casanova. Wow the history of this building, the cramped prison quarters (very low ceilings which would have been hard for Casanova as he was quite tall). To see the wealth of the Doges was just amazing. Then we walked across the Bridge of Sighs which is where the prisoners took their last breath before being executed!!
Lunch was once again in a lovely restaurant along one of the canals where we sampled some of the seafood. Good but quite pricey as were most things in Venice. You really need to get off the beaten track to find anything that is less expensive and that is becoming almost impossible to find.
After lunch we finished off with a fantastic tour of the Galleria dell Accademia which was very inexpensive at only Euro 6.50 per person. The Museum has a very rich collection of Venetian paintings from the Bizantine and Gothic 14th century to the artists of the Renaissance and much more. From St Mark’s Square it’s a local ferry ride to arrive at the Museum and it’s a great and cheap way to travel along the Grand Canal and see all the amazing buildings and soak up the atmosphere.
We then had a light snack before heading back to the airport for our return tour to Rome .
What a fabulous weekend it was! Venice is such an easy city to get around and it’s fantastic to be able to pack in so much without rushing around too much.