Ciao! Hello!
Venice was a city that was hard for me to wrap my head around before we arrived. I’ve seen it shown numerous times in movies, read countless travel articles online, and saw loads of photos. My biggest question was “how on earth can this city surrounded by so much water?” I’m from Minnesota, the land of 10,000 lakes, but Venice takes it to a whole other level.
When we arrived via train at the Venezia-St. Lucia railway station and walked up to the canal I was immediately in awe of the stunning buildings, bridges, and structures built right along the water. The pace was much more relaxed than cities such as Paris or London. I was immediately in love!
The walkways ranged from wide enough for dozens of people to pass easily, to so narrow you hoped you wouldn’t need to pass by anyone. The walkways were made of stones so not exactly a smooth walk, but a charming walk.
The city was incredible to walk around and cross bridges until you weren’t sure which part of the city you were in. So many plazas with beautiful churches, fountains, and shops open for lunch on the patio. We wisely purchased an international plan for our phones and were able to quickly find our actual location on our map apps. Having the map apps also helped to find where the nearest vaporetto was, or nearest restaurant, sometimes even how to get back to our hotel.
Since we were traveling with our 7 year old daughter we often took breaks from our long wandering walks. The vaporetto system was wonderful and fairly easy to follow. We would find the nearest dock and ride around the city admiring all of the buildings and gondolas. There is limited seating on the back of the boat (with the best view), but plenty of seating within the boat. The tickets were quite affordable for a day pass.
Our favorite place to see was the Piazza San Marco. During the day there were hundreds of people shopping, eating at cafes, and waiting in line to tour the Basilica di San Marco. My daughter and I tried to see who could find the most animals within the building’s artworks and exterior design. We loved finding the powerful lions with wings (griffin). We really enjoyed visiting the piazza again that evening. The crowds were gone and replace with live music outside two different restaurants. We bought some amazing pizza and just sat and watched people walk about, look at the stars, and enjoy the music.
When in Venice you must try the gelato! There were gelato shops everywhere we looked, so you’d be hard pressed to not find one. I tended to stick with the traditional menta (mint) flavor, while my daughter and husband were much more adventurous. My daughter couldn’t get enough of the lemon gelato ~ sometimes several a day. They were small cones, and it was about 80 degrees Fahrenheit so we looked forward to our next gelato stop.
When in Venice we had the most amazing food to choose from. From the pastas to pizza to seafood, everything was amazing and fresh. Nothing back home even came close to what we ate in Venice. What I found I enjoyed the most was stopping for a meal at a restaurant along the water. I was able to hear and see the waves while being on land surrounded by beautiful, old buildings. It was the perfect combination. There were also a number of shops to stop in quick and pick up snacks and beverages. We got hooked on the paprika flavored Pringles. They were so tasty that my daughter looks for them every time we are at the grocery store near our house. Unfortunately it looks like they are only sold in Europe.
I cannot wait to travel back to Venice!
Passports & Playdates 