Ciao Venice!

I was very fortunate to go on an Italian vacation for Spring Break with students and chaperones from a local high school. We visited 4 cities in 8 days and saw so much on this whirlwind trip. I have documented some of my favorite things in each city in hope that others will be able to experince the same sights that I fell in love with.

Stepping off the plane at the Marco Polo airport, you get a wiff of Italian air…and the ocean. After a long day of travel, you are transported by water taxi to the beautiful city of Venice, Italy- the city on the water. With only having 2 short days in Venice, we hit the ground running and began our adventure!

To get a break from the hustle and bustle in Venice, we chose to stay at the Hotel Villa Mabapa in Lido which was only a quick walk to the main street and water taxi terminal. The hotel is so welcoming and so quaint with classic charm. The sprawling backyard and beatuiful front patio is so welcoming and perfect for the beautiful weather. The morning breakfast was delicious and the classics, but also brought an Italian twist as well by providing dleicious rolls, meats, cheeses and homemade jams. Hotel Mabapa made the experince in Venice so authentic!

Lido

While I only spent an afternoon in Lido, I did love the quiet and simple lifetyle that it portrayed. If you want to stay in a place that isn’t touristy and where you can really feel like a local, Lido is the place to stay. The main street has many delicious gelato shops, restaurants, hotels overlooking the water and boutiques all around. The pop up restaurnats around Lido are amazing as well and I would highly recomend the hamburger at Bellabigila. One of the dinners that we had was in Lido at an amazing restaurnat called Roxy. The alfredo was delicious and the restaurant had such great Italian style. Lido was the perfect place to escape and unwind.

St. Mark’s Square

Arriving in Venice from the water taxi was breathtaking. Seeing all of the gondalas lined up and the historical buildings is a sight I will never forget. The first stop in Venice was St. Mark’s Square. This famous square is home to so many hsitorical sights to see. The square itself is packed with people eating at the restaurants outside, in awe at the archtitecture that surrounds you or with people taking advantage of the perfect photo opportunity. The San Marco Campanile tower is a sight that can be seen from the water and is even more impressive when you get closer to it. Unfortunatly I did not have the time to climb to the top, but I here the view is breathtaking.

Doge’s Palace

One of the first things that we did in Venice was take a tour of the Doge’s Palace. I would highly recomend taking either a guided tour or having an audio tour becasue you really learn about the history so much more. As you step into the courtyard of the Doge’s Palace  you are surrounded by pure stone walls. While the palace was used as a government building, it also contained a prison as well. When you take a tour of the palace you see  the goregous golden ceilings, walls of artwork and vast rooms where the government of Venice once resided. Below this beauty, is the dark, dreary, cold cells where the prisoners were kept. Seeing how these very different ways of life can be portrayed in one building is surreal.

Basilica di San Marco

The basilica is located in St. Mark’s Square and is such a spectacular church to visit. It is a very private church that allows no photos but the interior is something I will never forget. The high celings and arch ways begin on the outisde of the chruch and continue on the inside. The detail in the stone is magnificant and you truly feel like this is a special place. While there are many people in a line walking through the basilica, you do feel an escape from the busy St. Mark’s Sqaure as people are so quiet and in awe of its beauty. While we were in the church, a choir was about to start singing as well and that added to the ambiance. The detail that goes into making a basilica like this is amazing. I definetly recomend making a stop here to appreciate this beautiful structure.

Waterways

One of my favorite things to do in Venice was to just walk around the small alley ways and admire the many bridges that Venice has to offer. One of the most famous bridges in Venice is the Rialto Bridge and has such an amazing view of the grand canal. Shops line the bridge and one side of the bridge is a charming market with street vendors selling bags, scarves and other trinkets. The restaurants as well are right on the water and is where I had my first margherita pizza in Venice…so delicious! For those that love the unique stores and less known places, I would recomend taking a stop at Libreria Acqua Alta where you will find cats roaming this bookstore and all of the books placed in bathtubs and gondalas in case some high tides roll in. However, the best way to truly see all of the buildings in Venice and appreciate that it is all built on water, a gondala ride is definitely a must. I really felt I got a better sense of the city by being on the water and loved seeing all of the houses and stops along the way. This was my favorite part of Venice!

Venice at Night

As the day was winding to a close, we got the unique opportunity to visit a glass museum in Venice. Venice is famous for their glassmaking and we got to see how a glass vase was made by someone who mastered the skill in 25 years. This was a highlight of Venice as you got a taste of what this city is known for. As the sun was setting, we made our last stop at T Fondaco dei Tedeschi by DFS which is a mall in San Marco. We did not go there for the shopping, but instead we went there for the amazing view on the roof. Overlooking the grand canal at sunset was spectacular (I would also have stayed for the shopping there too if I had time!). For our last dinner, we stopped at a restaurant by St. Mark’s Square and had delicious risotto, chicken and panna cotta in their loft space. The water taxi back to Lido was so amazing to look back and see all of the lights of Venice at night.