We said goodbye to Tuscany and made our way to the Veneto. We arrived in Venice in the early evening and once settled in decided to go for a wander. We soon discovered that it is very easy to get lost in Venice. We were trying to locate the nearest laundromat after being given directions from our hotel manager. We had to go through a few people to eventually find the right directions. Note: when seeking the local laundromat, do not ask men as they do not understand what washing clothes mean!
The following morning we hit the alleys of Venice and headed to the famous Piazza San Marco (St Mark's Square). On the way we made a quick stop at the Rialto Bridge and saw a boat named after Jess. The original wooden bridge built between 1588 and 1591 fell into a state of decay in the 16th century and a competition was held for the design of a new bridge. Michelangelo was among the contenders but did not win. It is a vital part of the city and a busy hub of activity lined with shops.
We really did not have any plans for Venice, just go with the flow. Arriving at the square we found that the queues to climb the bell tower and enter the Basilica were too long so we settled with the Palazzo Ducale.
The Palazzo Ducale started out as a fortified castle in the 9th century, but this and subsequent buildings were destroyed by fire. The existing palace was built in the 14th and 15th centuries. The palace is a maze of lavish rooms and was the powerhouse of the city's rulers for 900 years. The palace is now a museum and basic tickets grant access to the private residence for the Doge, State Administration rooms (both of which photos cannot be taken) and the prisons connected to the Palace across a canal by the Bridge of Sighs.
We then joined a tour to three of the lagoon islands, Murano, Burano and Torcello. This tour went for 4 hours and really we felt that it could have been run better. The guide on the boat spoke in French, Italian and English, nobody on board could hear or understand her. It appears as though she said 4-5 words in English and then all the rest in French or Italian, so we just soaked up the sights.
Murano is where the famous Venetian Murano glass is manufactured. Glass was originally manufactured on the larger island but due to fears of fire, production was moved to Murano. We were dropped off at a glass factory, given a brief glass making demonstration and then lead into the shop.
Burano is famous for its lace and its brightly coloured housing in the fishing village. Again we were taken to a shop and given an even briefer description of two lace making techniques and then told the prices of all the items.
Torcello was established between the 5th & 6th Centuries and was a thriving colony with palaces and churches, however silted canals and malaria hastened Torcello's decline. Today it is slowly being rebuilt and there are a few restaurants, cafes and the church of Santa Fosca, which is popular for weddings. We saw two weddings on the island.
After completing our tour of the islands we headed back to Piazza San Marco where we found a small restaurant just off the square to have dinner.
After finishing dinner we decided that as it is a must to get a gondola ride whilst in Venice, we found a guy running gondola rides and took a 40 minute ride around some of the canals. We saw where Mozart, Casanova and Marco Polo lived.
For our last day in Venice we decided to have a short sleep in as so far for this trip we have been getting up early, getting ready and hitting the sites. We decided that as there was nothing else we really wanted to see we would wander the streets, check out the shops and take a few more photos of San Marco square.
Stopping for lunch we grabbed some pizza, probably our last for this trip.
There are so many shops that have the same things and lots of hawkers trying to sell fake Gucci, Prada and other big brand bags. If you are caught by the local police purchasing a bag from them not only do they get in trouble but you also get a 500 euro fine. You should see them pack up their bags and run when they see the police, its quite amusing.
Having finished with Venice we made our way back to the station to catch our next train to Milan, just a stop over on our way to the Cote d'Azure, but not before one last gelato!
The following morning we hit the alleys of Venice and headed to the famous Piazza San Marco (St Mark's Square). On the way we made a quick stop at the Rialto Bridge and saw a boat named after Jess. The original wooden bridge built between 1588 and 1591 fell into a state of decay in the 16th century and a competition was held for the design of a new bridge. Michelangelo was among the contenders but did not win. It is a vital part of the city and a busy hub of activity lined with shops.
We really did not have any plans for Venice, just go with the flow. Arriving at the square we found that the queues to climb the bell tower and enter the Basilica were too long so we settled with the Palazzo Ducale.
The Palazzo Ducale started out as a fortified castle in the 9th century, but this and subsequent buildings were destroyed by fire. The existing palace was built in the 14th and 15th centuries. The palace is a maze of lavish rooms and was the powerhouse of the city's rulers for 900 years. The palace is now a museum and basic tickets grant access to the private residence for the Doge, State Administration rooms (both of which photos cannot be taken) and the prisons connected to the Palace across a canal by the Bridge of Sighs.
We then joined a tour to three of the lagoon islands, Murano, Burano and Torcello. This tour went for 4 hours and really we felt that it could have been run better. The guide on the boat spoke in French, Italian and English, nobody on board could hear or understand her. It appears as though she said 4-5 words in English and then all the rest in French or Italian, so we just soaked up the sights.
Murano is where the famous Venetian Murano glass is manufactured. Glass was originally manufactured on the larger island but due to fears of fire, production was moved to Murano. We were dropped off at a glass factory, given a brief glass making demonstration and then lead into the shop.
Burano is famous for its lace and its brightly coloured housing in the fishing village. Again we were taken to a shop and given an even briefer description of two lace making techniques and then told the prices of all the items.
Torcello was established between the 5th & 6th Centuries and was a thriving colony with palaces and churches, however silted canals and malaria hastened Torcello's decline. Today it is slowly being rebuilt and there are a few restaurants, cafes and the church of Santa Fosca, which is popular for weddings. We saw two weddings on the island.
After completing our tour of the islands we headed back to Piazza San Marco where we found a small restaurant just off the square to have dinner.
After finishing dinner we decided that as it is a must to get a gondola ride whilst in Venice, we found a guy running gondola rides and took a 40 minute ride around some of the canals. We saw where Mozart, Casanova and Marco Polo lived.
For our last day in Venice we decided to have a short sleep in as so far for this trip we have been getting up early, getting ready and hitting the sites. We decided that as there was nothing else we really wanted to see we would wander the streets, check out the shops and take a few more photos of San Marco square.
Stopping for lunch we grabbed some pizza, probably our last for this trip.
There are so many shops that have the same things and lots of hawkers trying to sell fake Gucci, Prada and other big brand bags. If you are caught by the local police purchasing a bag from them not only do they get in trouble but you also get a 500 euro fine. You should see them pack up their bags and run when they see the police, its quite amusing.
Having finished with Venice we made our way back to the station to catch our next train to Milan, just a stop over on our way to the Cote d'Azure, but not before one last gelato!
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