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.
Misty Santa Maria della Salute.
Would you believe this is marzipan?
John & Janet enjoy a romantic gondola ride.
Moon over the canal, view from our hotel front door.
The pigeons were keeping this little girl occupied.
Arsenale early morning. We love to go out and walk as the city wakes up.
Table on a canal. What a romantic dinner spot!
Canal bridge, near St. Elena.
Dinner with friends at a Venetian favorite, NoNo Risorto.
Here I am, a bright spot on the canal.
Gondoliers.
Classic Venetian palazzo in a side canal.
The campi (Venetian for piazzas) are playgrounds.
Beautiful reflections on SS Giovanni & Paolo.
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.
Lion of Venice
This little guy was waiting for someone from the church to set out food.
Quiet canal.
Riding the Lion of Venice.
Reflections.
Cute window display of jewelry trees.
Bridge of Sighs as a background. Not bad.
Shrine
Basilica of SS. Giovanni & Paolo in the sunrise.
View from San Giorgio Maggiore. I never get tired of going up here. Can you see the mass of people in Piazza San Marco?
This never gets old.
One of our favorite Venetian street sculptures.
Girovaga 