A hike to the train station and at 9:30am it was already hot. The first half of the ride to Venice, as far as Bologna, was in tunnel. It must have cost a mint to build. Arriving in Venice is pretty cool. The line crosses a crappy causeway.
You get off the train and walk down the platform – still crappy.
Then you walk out of the station, and you are are in another world, unmistakably Venice.
We had a hot hike along the main drag, till we reached the landmark of McDonalds, the next street I knew was ours. The McDonalds was thankfully low key blending in with the rest of Venice nicely, no Golden Arches to speak of.
We stayed at Locanda Cà Le Vele.
Our accommodation was very nice, down a quiet calle, overlooking a canal.
We took a quick rest then headed out in the general direction of St Marks Square. Along the way we took in the sights, and a quick detour to the Rialto bridge.
Arriving at Piazza St Marco Jess and Mina were blown away by the church and buildings.
We checked out where we needed to be for the tour the next day, then wandered aimlessly back into the maze that is Venice.
It was around 6 o’clock, so too early for the restaurants to open at 7pm, so we decided to take a gondola ride. It’s not cheap but it’s a quintessential Venetian activity you have to do.
We had dinner at Cà D’Oro alla Vedova, a place nearby to where we were staying, and though it was highly rated I thought the food average and service indifferent. Gelato from the street was as excellent as always.
Next: Doge’s Palace and Murano
Previous: Tuscany