Europe-The Italian Experience (Venice)

After a hectic yet fun Parisian experience, Sarah and I jetted off to Venice for some down time. We arrived around midday and the weather was absolutely perfect- 75 degrees and zero humidity. We boarded a bus from the airport which took us too a central bus and train station. From there, we had to walk to our hotel. Venice has a LOT of stairs- it was quite the workout dragging our luggage up and down these stairs to get to our hotel, the Hotel Arlecchino.The staff was extremely friendly and helpful and our room was impeccable and overlooked the canal. Unlike the stories I heard, the canal did not smell awful; perhaps it was because of the time of year we choose to visit.

The View From Our Room

Shortly after arriving, we decided to get "lost in Venice" as Sarah called it. I was amazed by the tiny alleys you had to walk though in order to arrive at the main "plaza" or "square". Being from New York I was terrified of getting robbed, but Venice proved to be completely safe. One of the things I loved about Italy was how warm and welcoming everyone was. It was different to Paris where people sort of stick to themselves.

The Streets in Venice

We walked to this little souvenir place where we got a history lesson about Venetian masks. They were a central feature of Venetian Carnival and people were allowed to wear them between Santo Stefano which was the start of the carnival season, and Shrove Tuesday (the day before Ash Wednesday). Masks were also allowed to be worn during Ascension (which celebrates the day that Christ, in the presence of his apostles, ascended bodily into Heaven), as well as from October 5th to Christmas. This meant that masks were allowed during a significant portion of the year, and according to our "teacher", also facilitated many affairs. The masks that didn't allow you to differentiate gender were illegal.

After our little lesson, we went to a wine bar and restaurant called Vini Al Bottegon which served little appetizers. Although I had no idea what I was eating, I as willing to try everything, and most of what I had was delicious.

Our Italian Appetizers

We walked some more until we arrived at the Ponte Della'Accademia, a gorgeous bridge located near the Accademia museum and crosses the Grand Canal. I had to stop for a moment to take it all in before we moved on. Venice is a place I've wanted to visit my entire life and being on that bridge, overlooking the canal was such a surreal experience. The clear skies and amazing weather also added to the experience. In that moment, life felt perfect.

The view from the Ponte Della'Accademia Bridge

The day went by so quickly that before we knew it, it was time to get ready for dinner. I was excited for my first real meal in Italy! Everyone that knows me knows that Italian food tops the list of my favorite foods. We selected a restaurant right next to our hotel. Venice specialises in seafood since it's situated on the water; I wish i had thought of that prior to ordering my beef bolognese, but Sarah's shrimp dish was amazing. Our dinner was cut short when thunderstorms decided to pay us a visit. It was the only time it rained for my entire European trip, and I didn't mind too much because Sarah and I decided to go back to the hotel and try out our new masks.

Yummy Bruschetta

I believe Sarah's Dish was called Shrimp Diavlo

The next day we had to catch our train to Rome but we were determined to see Piazza San Marco before our departure. It's the only piazza in Venice and one of Europe's most famous tourist attractions. Unfortunately, bits of it was under construction which subtracted from its overall beauty. Many people opt to take wedding pictures here and we had the pleasure of seeing one bride walking through the square.

Piazza San Marco

We hopped a water taxi to take us back to our hotel after walking around the square. We were fortunate that the route we took allowed us to pass right under the Rialto Bridge, another top attraction in Venice; mainly because it allows tourists to view the gandola-filled waterway of the Grand Canal. Before getting our bags from the hotel, we decided to stop for some pizza and found a cute restaurant by the name of Antica Trattoria Pizzeria (Alla Ferrata). If you're the type of person that really wants to enjoy the Italian culture and the food; this is the place to go. It is filled with locals and we were the only tourists in the restaurant. The pizza margherita was the most amazing pizza I have ever had in my entire life. I am forever ruined now that I know what real Italian pizza is supposed to taste like.

Rialto Bridge on the Grand Canal

Pizza at Antica Trattoria- AKA The BEST pizza I've ever had in my entire life- updated 8.24.17


Shortly after lunch we collected our bags and boarded our train to Rome. Stay tuned for Europe- The Italian Experience (Rome).