Three Nights in the Incredible City of Venice
The Magical 'City of Canals'
Venice, the floating city in Italy is unlike anywhere else I have ever been! The city is so tranquil and absolutely magical. There are beautiful views around every corner and so many wonderful places to see! We travelled through Venice using the vaporetto, which was a very easy way to get around the city! I stayed at the Casa Caburiotto which is actually a converted convent. It was simple accomodation, but we had everything we needed, the staff were lovely and we had beautiful views of the canal from our room. It was in a quiet area called Santa Croce, and I loved sitting on the canal every morning and watching the people passing by while reading my book and admiring the view. I also really enjoyed my time in Venice because I am a bit of a Shakespeare fan, and I loved seeing the places where The Merchant of Venice film was set!
Venice has a very slow and relaxing pace. I really enjoyed just exploring the city and taking in the views. One of my favourite views was of The Grand Canal. It was a magical spot! You could see palaces, and lots of incredible architecture. There were so many beautiful colours, and it was exquisite. You also must go to the Rialto bridge, which is one of the most famous places in Venice! There are beautiful views of the canal, and also lots of gorgeous shops and cafe's in the area. While in Venice, you must visit a mask shop! There are shops full of exquisite, handmade Venetian masks that are iconic to the floating city. These masks used to be worn by people during the Carnival of Masks and to conceal people's identity when they didn't want to be seen. How cool!
A trip to Venice isn't complete with a visit to St. Mark's Square which is home to the stunning St. Marks Basilica. The area is absolutely gorgeous. When I was there, there was a string quartet playing beautiful classical music, which added to the beauty of the square. There are many shops and cafes in the area. Unfortunately I didn't get a chance to go inside the Basilica, but admiring it from the outside was still wonderful.
I went up to the top of the St Mark's Campanile bell tower in the square, which thankfully has an elevator! The views from the tower were splendid. You could basically see the entirety of Venice! There were beautiful 360 degree views of the city, and it was a great spot to view the Basilica from. I loved being able to see the cruise ships floating in the ocean surrounding the city. It was magical!!
A gorgeous day trip you can do in Venice is to the Island of Murano. Murano is renowned for its centuries of glass-making. That probably doesn't sound very exciting, but you wouldn't believe how incredible the glass is. The glass is rich with colours, and you can visit many shops with stunning items made of Murano glass. There were incredible statues, lamps and jewellery, that were made with incredible artistry. You can visit the workshops while you are there, which is wonderful as you can see the process of how the glass is made. I bought so many beautiful things there, which I treasure. The town is extremely colourful and my friend I enjoyed strolling through the town. We ate delicious gelato and also visited an amazing Italian bakery! It was such a serene place to go, and I highly recommend spending a few hours exploring the island.
We also visited The Jewish Ghetto/Quarters which used to be home to the entire Jewish population in Venice. It was amazing to learn about the history associated with the area. We actually visited on a Jewish Holy day, which was so lovely. I loved seeing the people that live there all dressed up, and I even saw a Jewish Priest playing a shofar, which was a very special experience for me.
You can also take Gondola rides through the canals, which unfortunately I didn't do. But next time it will be a must! Honestly though, I was extremely happy to just enjoy the sights while walking around the city.
After a hectic but incredible few days in Rome, My time in Venice was a very welcome change of pace! Lately I have seen many articles claiming that Venice is overrated, however, I never got bored. Although there were so many tourists, I couldn't get upset about it as who wouldn't want to spend time at such a beautiful destination!? I loved simply enjoying the views, and exploring such an amazing place. Venice has an extremely special spot in my heart! I long to go back one day. It is such a unique city, with an ambience unlike anywhere else I have ever been. This is definitely a place everyone needs to travel to at some point in their lifetime!
