Venice – GuraLife

We arrived 2 1/2 days before our cruise to give us time to explore Venice. We had a great time! We were able to explore a lot of the city and even rode in a Gondola!

Day 1, Wednesday, August 7th

We took the Alilaguna Water Taxi to our Airbnb in Castello. From the taxi we were able to see Murano island, San Michele church and get our first glimpses of Venice from!

We loved our Calle Cavalli Airbnb! It was down a pretty alley, had a very cool entry and a view of the Rio de la Pleta canal!

After settling into the room, we took a walk around our neighborhood. First we saw the Basilica dei Santi Giovanni E Paolo (Basilica of Saints John and Paul). The lighter colored building next to it was actually the local hospital – pretty fancy! We then went to the historic Jewish Quarter and saw Santa dei Miracoli (Church of Saint Mary of Miracles) a church built in 1481. After crossing the Rialto Bridge over the Grand Canal, we stopped at Caffe Saraceno for a late lunch and a beautiful view of the Grand Canal. A thunderstorm came through while we were at the restaurant. It was impressive how quickly the staff put up canopies so we all stayed dry! Rob cracked us up with the faces he made after getting his first beer in Venice.

After we ate, we wandered around town for a bit, bought a bottle of wine at a local store and headed back to the Airbnb to rest.

Day 2 – Thursday, August 8th

Rob and I woke up early, so we decided to go to a cafe on Giovanni E Paolo square and get some light breakfast. Expresso with Grappa is a sure way to wake up!

After breakfast, we returned to the Airbnb to gather up the rest of the crew for another day of exploration. Our first stop was Libreria Acqua Alta, a bookstore famous for it’s unique method of shelving the books and it’s resident cats. Next, we passed by Parrocchia di Santa Maria Formosa, a beautiful church built in 1492.

We stopped by a few shops and the market, on our way to hop on a water taxi down the Grand Canal, starting at the Venice Santa Lucia train station.

We listened to an audio tour on the Rick Steves Audio Europe app while going from stop to stop, which gave a background and history of many of the buildings and locations on the Grand Canal on the way down to the Piazza San Marco stop.

We disembarked from the water taxi at the San Marco stop, then went down across the Ponte del’Accademia (Academia Bridge) and grabbed some lunch at an authentic Italian restaurant. Jackson loved the Pasta Formaggio (aka Mac n Cheese), while we ordered different items (Carbonara, Lasagna, and Polo Milanese) and split them between the three of us.

On the way back to Piazzo San Marco, we passed through the shopping district, which had a lot of high-end stores and art galleries.

The Piazza San Marco is the only piazza in Venice – all other squares in the city are referred to as “campi”. The Piazzo is filled with stores, cafes, restaurants, and of course, the Doge’s Palace, the Basilica San Marco, and Torre dell-Orologio (Saint Mark’s Clocktower). Built in 1071 by Doge Domenico Contarini, the Basilica San Marco is by far the most famous church in Venice. The clocktower in the center of the square was intended for use by sea merchants arriving in Venice.

We stopped by the Giardini Reali, or Royal Gardens, to rest for a moment before stopping at Cafe Florian for iced coffee and ice cream treats.

The Ponte dei Sospiri (Bridge of Sighs) is an historic bridge connecting the Doge’s Palace to the Old Prison of Venice. It was used by prisoners as they were transported from the palace courtroom to their prison cells. Rumor has it that the bridge gets its name from the sighs the prisoners would let out on their journey across the river.