Day 25: 21 July 2010

Today we finally had time to return to Venice!  Lisa was off so the three of us drove into the city.  We would have taken the train, but it was actually less expensive to park the car at Tronchetto for the day.  We arrived around 12:30, a lot later than we wanted to due to a late start and a few wrong turns along the way.  Decided to take the 1E people mover to Piazzale Roma and walk through the city this time instead of seeing it by water.

 

Walking through the streets of Venice was fun in itself.  We had a map, but there are so many little alleys, roads, and people that it’s almost not even worth it to try looking at where you are going.  We followed the many street signs instead “per Rialto” and “per San Marco.”  Along the way, we crossed Constitution Bridge and several smaller ones, and watched as boats unloaded supplies along the waterways for local businesses.  Venice is known to be more expensive than a lot of other Italian cities because everything has to be shipped here by boat.  Further along we spotted a few people with Grom gelato in their hands and of course we had to stop for a snack.  I’ve decided today that Grom is definitely one of my favorite gelato places because the flavors are very rich.  I ordered my favorites…cioccolato fondente and café.  Wish I could get Grom at home, but that would involve a trip to the big, dirty NYC.  Maybe I will justify a visit here in the fall for some gelato, Magnolia cupcakes, and a trip to Ellis Island.  Anyway, back to Venice…

The Rialto Bridge was a neat site, especially from a distance where it was less crowded and we could watch vaporetti, private boats, and gondolas go under.  It is one of four bridges that crosses the Grand Canal and has always been the site of commerce for the city.  Today there are many shops on the inside road on top of the bridge itself and on the other side once you’ve crossed.  On the outside path of the bridge there are lookout spots overcrowded with tourists trying to take pictures of friends and family on the Grand Canal.  Once we snapped a few pictures and bought a cup of watermelon to snack on, we kept moving on in the direction of San Marco to thinner crowds.  On our way, we stopped to watch several gondoliers maneuver their way around a tight corner and under a bridge.  It was fascinating!

The crowds got thicker again as we approached San Marco until we made it onto the huge Piazza San Marco.  We stood off on the side to take it all in and listen to Rick Steves’ audiotour.  Unfortunately, we never finished because I needed to use the restroom.  I spent a good half hour on a wild goose chase to find the WC and dropped 1.50E there.  You know you’re desperate when you’ll that much to use the bathroom!  Back on the Piazza, we decided to get in line to enter San Marco.  Once inside, we followed as much of Rick’s audioguide as we could.  The exterior is unlike any of the other basilicas we’ve seen because it features Byzantine and Eastern European architecture. The interior is beautifully decorated with golden mosaics on the ceilings.  To be honest, I really didn’t feel like we were in a Church because we had to follow a roped off aisle through the Church and you had to pay to see almost everything inside.  After getting off to a late start today, we decided that today would just be a day to walk around and explore the city.  Looks like we’ll have to save the museums and attractions for another visit.

After leaving St. Mark’s, we walked down to the San Marco Basin and pointed out the spot across the water where we had seen the fireworks on Saturday.  Caught a glimpse of the famous Bridge of Sighs as well, but it was not so impressive since it is under major renovation.  Found a good sandwich shop (with free bathrooms!) on the corner of Rasse and San Provolo, then spent a while walking left along the water on Riva Degli Schiavoni, and stopping in souvenir shops along the way.  After much debate, we decided it would be best to try to head back to Montegalda for a cheaper meal.  Instead of walking, we took the vaporetto up the Grand Canal.  What a ride!  It was much cheapter than a gondola…for 6.50E we got to see the neat architecture of the city buildings and ride under the Rialto and other bridges right back to our car! 

The sun was going down as we drove on the Causeway out of Venice.  We definitely only scratched the surface here and hope to return sometime soon to see St. Mark’s, Doge’s Palace, Murano, and the many art museums here.  Ended the night at one of the few open restaurants near Montegalda.  Although it wasn’t much cheaper than Venice, I had some good homemade lasagna and ricotta pie.  Joe enjoyed bacala and polenta, while Lisa sampled the veggie spread.  Minus the cover charge, it was a great find!  Afterwards, we returned to Lisa and Benson’s for one more night, feeling not at all ready to leave this beautiful area.