Eat, Sleep, See, Do: Venice

If you read my last post you know that I traveled to Venice, by way of Frankfurt with an unexpected and unwelcome five hour layover in Germany. On the way home, I had a surprise overnight layover in Zurich. Amazingly, neither of these were my fault!

Regardless, the (long) trip to Venice was worth it, as any trip to Italy is.

At times I couldn’t believe this was a real place. (photo cred @AuntieMelissa)

Italy is like a fairytale, and Venice isn’t any different. The whole time I was there I felt like I was in some kind of Disney theme park with actors posing as Italians. The beauty and culture, even in one of Italy’s most visited cities, was absolutely surreal.

While there, I did the usual eating and drinking, mixed in with the occasional ride on the Vaporetto (or “water subway” if you’re me), and just generally enjoyed the city.

Here are some of the highlights from my trip. It was hard to pick and choose, everything we did here was a blast.

Eat:

Taverna Al Remer. This restaurant was nearly impossible to find, but once we managed it was worth it. Hidden down narrow alleys and right in front of the Grand Canal, there is no better spot to enjoy an evening in Venice. The food was delicious, I had squid ink pasta with crab, and the live music created the perfect atmosphere.

This restaurant was hidden down tiny streets and tucked into a corner along side the Grand Canal.
My dinner of squid ink pasta with crab meat was AMAZING.
The restaurant was full of tourists but still managed to feel so Italian

Grom gelato. This is a chain of gelato restaurants but I absolutely loved it. I tried their signature cookie flavor and was in heaven. There are obviously so many options for gelato in Italy, but honestly this is one of my favorites.

Bacareto Da Lele. I was exploring near the bus station while waiting to head to the airport when I stumbled upon this place. It was surrounded by locals drinking wine or spritzes, eating mini sandwiches, and enjoying the day. Being in a very touristy area I was surprised to find something so authentically Italian, so I had to try it. Even though I was alone for the day and speak no Italian, I loved the energy here. Everyone was loud and friendly, making the restaurant more about the whole experience instead of just the food.

The locals don’t mind that there aren’t any open tables. They take their food and drinks and gather in the square by the restaurant.

Sleep:

Lido. After visiting Lido for the day, I wasn’t ready to leave. The streets are beautiful and spending a day at the beach after a summer in Madrid was incredible. It is so accessible to Venice by Vaporetto that I think staying here, at least for a night or two, would be amazing.

Lido’s beaches were incredible.

Airbnb. I think that staying in an Airbnb can be one of the best ways to visit a city. Usually I try to stay near the city center while still being in a more local area. This lets me do all the sightseeing I can handle, but I often end up finding some hidden gems this way. Our Airbnb was in the perfect location, right by Rialto bridge while still being in a quieter spot, away from all the other tourists.

The rialto bridge was right by our airbnb.

See:

Lido, Murano, Burano. Venice was an absolutely beautiful city, but exploring the islands around it was amazing as well. The beaches on Lido were incredible, and it was so fun walking around the colorful streets of Murano, popping in and out of glass shops. Unfortunately the weather stopped us from going to Burano, but I’ve heard that it is beautiful too. Hopefully some day I’ll make it!

The islands were just as beautiful as Venice.
The colorful buildings on Murano.
Stormy weather meant we couldn’t make it to Burano, but on the plus side, Venice gets even prettier after it rains.

“Support” art installation. While this is only in place until November 26th, it was one of the coolest things I saw here so I couldn’t leave it out. Not only is the art impressive, but the message behind the installation is so important. The artist was trying to represent how our hands are so powerful as they can both support us and destroy us. The piece is specifically related to climate change since Venice could soon be under water.

Doge’s Palace (at night if possible). The only museum type attraction that I enjoy is royal palaces. Maybe because I hope to live in one? Anyways, Doge’s Palace in Piazza San Marco did not disappoint. Even better was the fact that we visited at night, only an hour before close. We had the palace to ourselves. Seriously, there were maybe three other groups there. No tours, no selfie sticks. I LOVED it.

The palace was even prettier after the rain.
The view from the bridge of sighs – where prisoners took one last look at Venice before being imprisoned.
The sign told me this is one of the biggest rooms in Europe and I had it completely to myself!

Do:

Take a Gondola Ride. This is something that I probably would have skipped if I wasn’t with my family, but I am so glad I didn’t miss it. Our gondolier Claudio made a great tour guide, telling us stories about his life in Venice and answering all my dumb questions…as well as my 6 year old cousin’s much more intelligent questions.

Family selfie featuring Claudio the gondolier.

Explore Venice’s markets. On our first day we walked through a fish and fruit market near Rialto bridge. We saw an entire swordfish, tons of squid and octopus, and a huge variety of fresh fruit and vegetables. I love discovering cities through their food, and I think markets are the best way to do this. Especially in Italy. I love watching the locals interact and seeing what people buy in different places. Here it was especially cool to check out all the fresh fish since it was all displayed in very different ways from how it is in the U.S.

They had to put something on the end of this fish so his “sword” didn’t accidentally hurt people as they walked by.
I’m not sure why, but I was obsessed with these bunches of peppers.

Get lost. Venice is full of winding streets and it was hard to find the same spot twice. I loved following my little cousin as he led the way because we got to explore the smaller streets, away from the crowds. We stumbled upon delicious restaurants, cool stores, and we even found the hotel that Matt Damon was supposedly staying at. It is such a small island, so you’ll never really be lost, but taking time to explore without a destination in mind helped us find some really cool spots.

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