Excited for 3 days in Venice
Day 1: Thursday, 5/11 – Flying into Venice
The flight to Venice starts – get this! – at 5:15 in the AM, meaning, up at 2:00 AM to get to the airport 2 hours before an international flight. Stop in Denver – guess what it was doing in Denver? That’s right, raining. Why do we leave the only time in ‘23 when it is 85-90 F in Portland to find rain everywhere else on the planet! The weather forecast in Italy is 65 F with, wait for it, RAIN most of the time we are there. We will make the most of it because we love Venice, Tuscany and Assisi! AND, we love all of Italy and the Greek Islands. …. Yes, we are excited for our 3 Days in Venice.
Our flight is taking us over the central states heading to Newark where we will have a bite to eat, stay at the United Mileage Plus Lounge and just rest. We arrive into Venice at 9:05 AM on Friday. You can imagine how very excited we are to spend time in our favorite of places in Italy before we head to Civitavecchia, the port for Rome, and head out to the Greek Islands for a 10 day cruise, and guess what, NO RAIN!
We thank our Lord for our health and the means to take this holiday to our favorites on land and the sea. We do not care if it rains one bit!
Day 2: Friday, 5/12. – First Day in Venice
WOW! What a day! After leaving Portland at 5:15 in the morning, we arrived in Venice at 9:05 AM the next day as planned, after stops in Denver and Newark. Thankfully this weak-stomached traveler was not challenged by too many bumps and jumps along the way. Hallelujah! (A little tired, but so excited!).
At the airport we were met by a motor boat arranged by our hotel, and our driver
sped through choppy waters and rainy skies to our dream hotel, Al Ponte Antico, right by the Rialto Bridge in the center of Venice. We were met on their private dock by the owner of the hotel, Matteo, and his assistant, who welcomed us warmly to their refurbished palazzo (palace) which has only 9 rooms…(of which we have the smallest by the way). They took us to the breakfast room to show us the restored wood ceiling and its original chandeliers, and above all the grand view of the Grand Canal of Venice.
I honestly felt like I was living an HGTV special. Such a warm welcome to such a magical place.
Since the room would not be ready for four hours, we set out to explore Venice on our own. After walking through countless streets and St. Mark’s Square itself, we had pastries and coffee at the famous Rosa Salva’s Patisserie. There we met a delightful Canadian couple who had just completed three weeks in Italy.
We also had booked the 15-minute allowance of time to go to the very top of the luxury Fondaco dei Tedeschi Department Store for panoramic views of the city. So worth the wait.
Then it was back to the hotel for a quick clean-up and snooze before our food tour started at 5:30. Ah, do we love a food tour, this time hosted by a native Venetian, Isabella. Isabella taught us the “in’s and out’s” of buying fine cheese, ordering ciccheti (Venetian tapas), and enjoying an Aperol Spritz, all peppered with the history of the city Isabella obviously loves. All this while walking all over the siestres (neighborhoods) of Venice.
Afterwards, it was back to the hotel to relax and plan for tomorrow. The grand total: 2 droopy, weary, but content travelers with 5.8 walking miles logged. Buona Sera, my friends. However, we are just getting started on our Italy and the Greek Island adventure.
Thank you God. You listened to our prayers for the past 2 weeks, and presented to our delight, a sunny day!!
Day 3: Saturday, May 13th – 2nd Day in Venice
Praise the Lord, it is a sunny day in Venice, Italy.
Today we started the day with a gourmet breakfast hosted by the owners of our hotel, Matteo and Barbara. Barbara bakes all the bread, buttery croissants, and other delectable treats. Matteo added scrambled eggs and cappuccino to complete the meal.
Next we walked to St. Mark’s Square for our unguided (the way we like it) tour of the Doge’s Palace, and pictures of the Bridge of Sighs from the inside, the last glimpse of sunlight for prisoners headed to years of incarceration, centuries before. Bye bye, Casanova—until he escaped, that is.
Then it was off to exploring the Castello neighborhood of Venice (much quieter and more authentic) to seek out Acqua Alta, a bookstore which stores books in gondolas in case of floods, and a marbled-paper studio
which Jane had researched, Arzanart, featuring the sweet owner and new mom, Isabella. Neither store disappointed, as you can see from the pictures below. We love supporting artists in out-of-the-way places, and promoting their businesses.
For dinner, it was off for pizza at Birarria alla Corta, in the San Polo neighborhood. It turns out every worker at our hotel knew of the place, and said that’s where they and their families and soccer teams, etc., etc., go for pizza.
In case you didn’t know, in Italy people do not share a pizza; they each order their own. The interesting thing tonight was that everyone around us (and yes, we spied!) did finish their own pizzas, even the skinny teenagers at the next table. Guess this is one Italian tradition we are not a part of. It’s baffling that most Italians are fit; guess it’s because Italians—at least in Venice—walk everywhere.
To end the perfect day, it had to be chocolate gelato, of course, with a cookie on top. Buona sera, friends, from Italy. (More info on our Venice blog from ‘19)
Day 4: Sunday, May 14th – 3rd Day in Venice
Happy Mother’s Day all! It’s even Mother’s Day in Italy! We started the day with another special breakfast at our hotel. Today’s treats included homemade apricot and berry tarts, and puffed cream hearts, for the moms. This, with made-to-order eggs, and salami, cheeses, cereals, etc. etc. Tomorrow we’ll send a picture of the table. You would not believe.
Next Ron and I trekked through the rain to Fondamente Nova, at the edge of the lagoon, to catch the water bus to Murano and Burano. Burano is a quaint little town, known mostly for handmade lace and for its colorful houses. Years ago, as the fishermen of the town returned home through the fog and the mist, they were able to spot their own houses before they reached the shore because each house was painted a different bright color. It is truly a beautiful little village today, as the tradition continues.
Burano is also known for handmade lace. (If any of you saw the Hallmark Wedding Veil Series, much of it is based in Burano.)
Last time we were here, I bought lace handkerchiefs for all of my granddaughters’ wedding days, with their initials on them.
The store where I bought these handkerchiefs features a little lady making lace, and Ron took her picture in 2015 (photo on the left). Today the same little lady was there! Ron showed her the picture he took in 2015, and she was so pleased that we had included her in our blog. It was a sweet moment.
Next we headed to Il Gatto Nero (The black cat) Trattoria for dinner. What a treat! This restaurant was started in 1967 by a group of brothers, and today has a Michelin recommendation. Do you have memorable meals in your life, ones you will always remember for the food itself and the atmosphere?
Well, this was one of those meals. What a fun way to spend Mother’s Day!
We had three Italian courses, starting with assorted fresh salami and meats, then Ron had Pasta Bolognese, and I had Spaghetti Vongole (with clams)…….the best clam dish I have ever had. All the pasta was homemade and incidentally, cooked more al dente than we do at home…Oh, and the oil and balsamic vinegar were heavenly too..
After bringing the whole fish to the table to display, our waiter filleted the tender sea bass and served it in a white wine sauce. Ron’s favorite, calamari fritti (fried calamari), was a main entree as well. The family-owned restaurant made the atmosphere special for Mother’s Day….and because Ron knows no strangers as most of you know, we had a fun conversation with a mother/daughter pair from Germany as well.
We were so proud of ourselves turning down dessert, but I just had to stop on the way back to the hotel for thick, creamy hot chocolate….Needless to say I have miles to make up tomorrow. Good night sweet moms and all our sweet babies. Tomorrow, Firenze! (Visit our blog from ‘15 on Burano and Murano)
More Information and Ideas for Exploring Venice
