I have FINALLY gotten all 2,439 pictures organized from our trip to Italy last November. So, without further ado, our Italy recap begins.
Let’s start with what I call:
Day 0 (Nov. 1) – Departure Day
We were up at around 2 am, got dressed, headed to meet our friends, and then headed to the airport. We flew from Memphis to Newark, had an 8 hour layover in Newark, followed by an hour delay, and finally out of Newark to Venice. (Let me just say…if the airport you have a long layover in has a lounge for your airline, get yourself access! It is worth it!)
Which leads us into…
Day 1 (Nov. 2) – Arrival in Venice
We wanted to arrive a day earlier than the “first” tour day, so this was the day, though not a full day. We found our hotel and dropped off our luggage. We did some shopping, some eating, and of course, some cappuccino drinking! We went back to the hotel to check-in, put luggage in our rooms, freshened up, and went to dinner at Al Peoceta Rosorto.
After dinner, we were back at the hotel, showered, and in bed early. That jet lag was about to kick our butts!
Day 2 (Nov. 3) – Free morning & group meet-up at 4
We got up, got dressed, and headed to a restaurant a block from the hotel for breakfast. We then took the waterbus (well, more than one) to Murano. If you are unfamiliar with Murano, it is an island near Venice famous for its glassmaking.
We visited the glass museum, did some shopping, and then took a waterbus to Burano. Burano is known for its lacemaking. We ate lunch on Burano, did some shopping there, and then took the waterbus back to Venice.
We were scheduled to meet the tour group at 4 and, after several waterbus transfers, we made it, but were a few minutes late (not a normal thing for us either) :/ Once we met our tour guide, and got through introductions of everyone in the group, we all went to our rooms for a little bit, and then met outside the hotel for the orientation walk at 6.and gondola rides! We had dinner together at Trattoria Alla Scala.
After dinner, we called it a night. We had a full day the next day!
Day 3 (Nov. 4) – “Backstreets of Venice”
We all ate breakfast downstairs and then gathered outside to meet our tour guides for the “Backstreets of Venice” tour. We split into two groups, so our guide was Elisabetta. She was great!! We started in the market. Also, note that the tide was higher than normal (this is a normal occurrence, though). We learned about Renaissance, Byzantine, Gothic, and Venetian architecture. We saw Scuola Grande di San Marco, which now serves as the city’s main hospital. We had our fair share of cappuccinos throughout the day as well 😉
After a full morning with Elisabetta, we had the afternoon free. We decided to tour the Doge’s Palace and the Bridge of Sighs. This was something I really wanted to see, and especially the Bridge of Sighs. It was built in 1600 and connected the interrogation rooms in the Doge’s Palace to the New Prison. Legend has it that the bridge’s name comes from the sighs of convicted prisoners. As they were led across the bridge from their trials to their cells, they would sigh while catching their final glimpse of Venice through the small, barred windows.
We had some affogato, ate supper (complete with live music), and then called it a night!
Day 4 (Nov. 5) – Accedemia tour, glassmaking on Murano, lunch on Burano
On our last day in Venice, we ate breakfast at the hotel and met everyone and our tour guides outside the hotel. We split into two groups, and Elisabetta was our guide again. This time, we headed to Accedemia, an art gallery.
After about 2 hours in the art gallery, we left and headed to catch a our private waterbus to Burano, where we stopped for lunch, before heading to Murano for a glassmaking demonstration. We could not video or take many pictures because of copyrights.
Once we returned from Murano, we had the evening free. My mom and I decided to go watch/hear the Vivaldi Baroque Ensemble in Chiesa della Pieta (Vivaldi’s Church). We did stop and eat on the way. The Concerti was AMAZING!!
Once the concerti was over, we walked back to the hotel to shower and pack, because the next morning, we were headed to Florence!!
Up Next: Florence [Days 5 – 7]
