Italia: Parte 2 - Venice

Once in Venice, we checked into our amazing hotel, the Bellini (which is also a Venetian drink made with Prosecco and chilled peach juice). Our room even had a balcony with a view of the Grand Canal. I felt incredibly overwhelmed by the beauty of Venice. It was absolutely everything I had imagined and more. I found myself stopping at every turn in the road, taking pictures or watching gondoliers expertly navigate the labyrinth of canals. I heard Pavarotti and Bocelli classics emanating from every restaurant we passed as an accordion player serenaded whispering couples. We got lost multiple times, walking along waterways and searching for the perfect place to eat. We walked across the famous Rialto Bridge and played with the hungry pigeons in San Marco Square. I was instantly in love.

The next day, we took a vaporetto (water taxi) to Murano, an island near Venice in the Adriatic Sea. There, we watched the famous glass-blowers of Murano work on beautiful pieces of art.

Eventually, we made our way back to Piazza San Marco and took a walk through the Basilica di San Marco. There, I got a taste of Venetian flooding…water was seeping under the doors into the church itself. After a quick lunch, we went to the Palazza Ducale (the Doges’ Palace). Venice used to be ruled by Doges (similar to senators) and we made our way through the beautiful, ornate rooms, looking at all of the intricate artwork and the gold ceilings. The palace was also connected to an old prison and the bridge linking the two is called the Ponte dei Sospiri (Bridge of Sighs) because it was the last view of beautiful Venice that the prisoners ever got. We used our water bus pass the rest of the day and cruised up and down the beautiful Grand Canal, including where Casino Royale was shot. I could not get enough of the amazing views…it simply doesn’t look real.


The next morning, we woke up early to scope out the fish and fruit markets near the Rialto. I couldn’t believe how fresh the fish were! There was no smell at all (which I appreciated) and they were selling the most bizarre things, including full sharks, octopi, and swordfish.

Next, we walked to the Accademia for some Venetian art. Inside the gallery is my dad’s favorite painting of all-time, La Tempesta by Giorgione. My personal favorite was Portrait of a Young Man before a Landscape by Hans Memling. It looked like he could climb out of the frame. We found out that da Vinci’s Vitruvian Man was inside the Academy, but due to the damage that natural light causes it, it was hidden away. I was fairly bummed out.

Ultimately, Venice blew me away. I never could have prepared myself for our time there. It is best to just walk aimlessly, getting utterly lost and admiring everything. We went in early that night to get ready for Rome.