We return frequently to our favorite places. We find the mix of familiar and foreign compelling. So once again we ventured to Venezia, one of the top destinations in Italy for us. We were thrilled, even on our 8th visit, to walk out of the train station and find the Grand Canal at our feet. For those who think Venezia is Disney-esque, has bad food that is over-priced , or is filled with same-old-same-old sites, even after so many visits we made discoveries that deepened our love for this unique city on water.
Artful window grate.
New-to-us sites: Scuola di San Marco and Casino Venier. La Scuola di San Marco is a medical museum located near the entrance to the public hospital. Go if only to see the room in which it is housed, a masterpiece in itself. Casino Venier is hard to find. It is a salon, a type of entertainment lounge frequented in the 18th century by the likes of Casanova. Our friends were inspired to select these sites by a Guardian article, “Top 10 free things to see in Venice,” exposing us to some new sites. Despite the title there was, however, a charge to enter the museum.
New-to-us restaurants: La Promessi Sposi, Impronta Cafe, and Osteria di Santa Marina. The first is a small trattoria, crowded, with simple but delicious food, at prices that will make you doubt you are in Venezia. Do make a reservation. The Impronta is a busy lunch stop, so again a reservation makes sense. Here you will find Venetian business people dining on simple fare including salads and sandwiches. Osteria di Santa Marina is fancier, a place to celebrate and a bit of a budget-buster. Excellent food, classic service, a fine place to observe a special occasion, like Ric’s birthday. We have been using this list from The Telegraph to inspire our dining in Venice for a couple of years. So far no losers!
This post is long on pictures and short on words. We introduced good friends from Portland to the wonders of Venezia and completely enjoyed renewing our love affair with La Serenissima.
Click on any photo for a better view, full caption, and a slide show, if you like.
Cute window display of jewelry trees.
Quiet canal.
Would you believe this is marzipan?
One of our favorite Venetian street sculptures.
Moon over the canal, view from our hotel front door.
Table on a canal. What a romantic dinner spot!
This little guy was waiting for someone from the church to set out food.
Riding the Lion of Venice.
Gondoliers.
When you go back to a place during a different time of year, you see different things. In the Frari Church a relic was displayed in this Baroque altar that is only open during Holy Week. It is said to be the blood of Christ.
John & Janet enjoy a romantic gondola ride.
Misty Santa Maria della Salute.
Bridge of Sighs as a background. Not bad.
Reflections.
This never gets old.
Beautiful reflections on SS Giovanni & Paolo.
View from San Giorgio Maggiore. I never get tired of going up here. Can you see the mass of people in Piazza San Marco?
The pigeons were keeping this little girl occupied.
Basilica of SS. Giovanni & Paolo in the sunrise.
Dinner with friends at a Venetian favorite, NoNo Risorto.
The campi (Venetian for piazzas) are playgrounds.
Classic Venetian palazzo in a side canal.
Arsenale early morning. We love to go out and walk as the city wakes up.
Here I am, a bright spot on the canal.
Lion of Venice
Shrine
Canal bridge, near St. Elena.
Girovaga 
Because of my current medical treatment I have my blogs send me weekly digests…that is why I had not commented on your trip to the City of My Dreams. Would you believe that first picture “Artful window grate” is in my neighborhood and is in between the fish seller and the dry cleaner? I loved it the first time I saw it.
Thanks for including a cat!
Michelle
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Good to hear from you, Michelle! What a coincidence that I should pick out something from “your” neighborhood! I try to take pictures of cats all the time, but usually they manage to turn away from me just as I snap the photo. Big hug!
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I must have walked by there nearly every day on my last two visits as it was on my way to the Arsensle vaporetto stop.
You know as well as I do, there are no coincidences.
I know I will be back there in March.
And cats are like that. There is a very friendly white cat that I would often encounter on my way back along Calle dei Scudi who just moved too fast and all photo attempts were total blurs.
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It is hard for me to imagine that there is anyone who wouldn’t visit Venice as often as they could.
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I agree with you – I went last Oct and loved every minute – even the rain, rain, and rain! May return this Oct – there are so many places yet to visit and I like knowing my way around (a little) Happy Travels! Enjoy your blog very much. Loved the one on trains vs planes!
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Thanks Sarah! We lucked out on weather this time, but there is a charm in the rain, too, and fewer people milling around!
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What beautiful photos. I love what can be done with marzipan. The first time I saw this done was in Sicily and I was amazed at how lifelike the pieces appeared. I love Venice, but my husband is not thrilled with it. Too bad.
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Remind Ric Bridge of Sighs was a song by Robin Trower😀
Glad you guys are living life to the fullest!
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I’ll have to look up that oldie. We don’t recall it. (It’s the old-timers disease.) Thanks for stopping by!
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We’ve only been to Venice once and we thought it was magical. Marc wants to go back. The food tasted soooo good! It probably wasn’t anything special, just the environment that made it so good. We made it to Murano and Burano but not on farther out to the 3rd island. My brother wants to trade one of his timeshares into Venice and stay for a week. Maybe we’ll get lucky enough to get to go along with them!
Those handmade veggie’s in your phone could make a wonderful bouquet!
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Ah, Marcia, I hope you get to go again and spend a week! (But not in the summer!) We love the food there. It gets a bad rap from people, but if you know where to go, you can eat well. We’d like to spend a month, maybe in October soem year.
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I have been to Venezia 4 times and I like you fall more in love with each visit. Pricey but so very worth it. It’s not just the magnificence that surrounds you but also the way Venezia makes you feel…wonderful.
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Amen, cousin! We have been fortunate to find places in the off-season that don’t break the budget too much. We did well this time with our restaurant choices, too. It is truly a magnificent place.
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Ciao Laurel,
Thanks so much for this post. I’ve been fortunate enough to visit Venezia twice and hope to return in the not too distant future. I absolutely agree with you about this incredibly unique and beautiful city. Just wandering around is a wonderful experience. Love your photos, too!
Christine
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I think it will be quite awhile before we go back again, but I am already looking forward to it in theory. We’d love to spend a month there some autumn. Hope you get there soon!
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